Immortality Bites
by adVENTitiious
Summary: What would have happened if Harry had chosen to keep the part of Voldemort's soul attached to him, remaining immortal, and then attended his seventh year of school? This obviously. Main character/Vampire. Non-canon compliant. -HP/DM
1. Chapter 1

**Immortality Bites**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Author's Welcome Note: Hello! This is my first solo Draco/Harry. I do however co-write the Draco/Harry story _Unwell_ on my joint account ****ImSuperSiriusGuys.**

**I am writing this at the request of Author 2 from my joint account, a.k.a. LoupEtoile! ****A Vampire Drarry just as you demanded. Mmmwuah! You guys should check out her solo stories on our account she's a WONDERFUL writer. They are _Obscure_ and _What's In A Hous_e.**

**Oh, and I'm drawing a large portion of my vampire lore from Skyrim. :-P**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**~Chapter One~**

* * *

"Where am I?" Harry mumbled to himself as he looked around, seeing only fog. He couldn't make out his location. There were no physical markers. No sky. No walls. No ground. Nothing but air and fog.

"King's Crossing, Harry."

Harry spun around at the familiar but unexpected voice. His heart jumped into his throat as he looked upon the old wizard, who he had thought for sure he would never see again, smiling warmly at him with twinkling, blue eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore?" His gaze darted again around the area, that suddenly looked a lot like the train station of nine and three-quarters, as his befuddled mind slowly began to piece together his last few memories: him walking into the forest alone, seeing his parents along with Sirius and Remus, standing before Voldemort, and then falling as a green curse filled his vision. "Am I dead?"

"No, this is an _in-between_, Harry," the old wizard said as he motioned around them with a wave of his left hand, which appeared healthy once more.

"An in-between for _what_?" the young wizard asked, eyeing a bright, red train curiously that he was certain had not been there a second before, the doors sitting open in an inviting manner. Or perhaps it _had_ been, it looked like it belonged there. He felt a strong urge to board it as if it would take him somewhere. Somewhere he desperately wanted to go. He forced his gaze away and back to the wizard.

Dumbledore smiled at him, a sadness softening the wrinkles around his blue eyes. "A place for meetings and decisions one might say. You see, you are neither truly dead or alive at this very moment. You have been given the choice most never have or ever will. You can board the train you see behind me to _move on_, or you may choose to go back to the living."

Harry nodded, not able to make sense of the explanation completely but accepting it. He heard an odd noise from behind him and turned around to see a deformed infantile-like creature under the bench nearby them wrapped in a blanket. "What is that?" he asked in a disturbed voice.

"Ah, _that_, Harry, is a piece of the wizard's soul you and I know to be Tom Riddle." The wizard's sharp blue gaze studied it closely for a long moment before refocusing on Harry. "It's the reason why you are here right now. It's protected you many times in your life, as well as just moments ago from the very wizard, who's soul it was split from. You see, by bestowing a part of his soul to you, he unknowingly made you immortal."

"But why is it here?" Harry asked curtly, eyeing it suspiciously.

"It's alive, just like you, even if it is incomplete. It's been attached to you all these years, and _if_ you choose to return - you can take it back with you as well..." The old wizard tilted his head as he paused. "Or you can choose to leave it behind."

Harry looked up at the man who had been his main source of guidance since he was eleven. "Why would I want to do that? Take it back with me, that is?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Why indeed." He sat down on the bench slowly, sighing as he settled. He patted the seat beside him, Harry sitting down reluctantly. "You see Harry, if you defeat Tom today, and he were ever to _return_ somehow, you would remain protected with the aid of it. You would be able to fight him again."

Harry frowned as he thought. "Isn't it one of the final horcruxes though? If I leave it, he would be that much closer to being mortal, right? Wasn't that the plan?"

Dumbledore shot him a wry smile. "It was, but one thing I've learned since... passing on, is one can never be certain in anything other than the fact that everything is always uncertain."

Harry's dark eyebrows furrowed. He looked down at the piece of Voldemort's soul and then back up at a patiently waiting Dumbledore. He stood up slowly. "I'll take it back with me then."

The old wizard pushed himself up and smiled tightly, a look akin to guilt dulling his usually bright eyes as he looked down at the determined wizard. He placed a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. "I should tell you, immortality is a heavy burden to carry alone, Harry. I have seen it weigh too heavily on even the strongest of wizards."

Harry nodded, a determined look alighting his green eyes. "I'll be fine."

* * *

"Harry. Harry, wake up. We're here."

Harry's eyes fluttered open. He sat up slowly, leaning forward to look out through the dark window of the Hogwarts Express for a glimpse of the school in vain. A tight smile pushed up the corners of his mouth. "Too bad Ron didn't come back with us." He looked over to Hermione, the only other occupant of their car.

"Yes, well it's only for a year," she said in a forced, cheerful tone. She shot him an encouraging smile, the expression looking like it could fall at any point.

"Yeah, it's just a year," he agreed, returning the sentiment and dropping the subject. He hadn't meant to bring it up. The witch had been rather broken up when Ron had told them both he was going to do a year of apprentice work under his brother Charlie in Albania instead of joining them for their seventh year at Hogwarts. It just felt odd without him.

He stood up as the train came to a complete stop. He lowered his trunk by hand from the overhead storage, the sounds from the hallway filling with excited students assaulting his ears. For some reason he couldn't tell if the sudden coiling in his stomach was from excitement or apprehension.

Hermione lowered her trunk with her wand as Harry pushed the door open.

Harry took in a calming breath and stepped out in the hallway - to run straight into someone. "Oh, sorry. Sorry," he said before his brain could catch up with his eyes, not realizing who he had just run into.

Cold, grey eyes glared down at him. "Watch where you're going, _Potter_," Draco Malfoy sneered before pushing by him with a sharp shoulder and stepping over his overturned trunk.

Harry glared darkly at the wizard's back as he rubbed at his shoulder. "I should have left him in the bloody Roo-"

"-What was that about?" Hermione asked suddenly, eyeing the wizard's dropped trunk and startling him.

Harry's hand dropped from his shoulder, a look of guilt flitting across his features. "Oh, uh. Nothing. Just ran into Malfoy," he grumbled, leaning over and tossing in a few books that had fallen out. He flipped over the trunk and secured the lid, placing a locking charm on it for extra measure.

"Malfoy? He came back too?" Hermione asked with a surprised look on her face as she pushed a wayward, curly lock of hair behind her ear.

"I guess so," Harry said in a disheartened voice. That was the last thing he needed. Defeat Voldemort, go back for his final year at Hogwarts without his best friend, and deal with Draco Malfoy for another year. He groaned. Maybe he didn't need to be an auror. Maybe he'd just play Quidditch. Tryouts weren't for another two weeks. He eyed the car wistfully. He could just stay on, and it would take him back-

"-_No_, Harry." The witch shot him a look of sharp reproof. "I know what you're thinking. Now, come on, let's go find a carriage."

Harry smiled sheepishly. He turned, levitating the trunk with a swish of his wand and then began to make his way towards the closest exit. Hermione was right. He wasn't going to let the Slytherin ruin his last year at school. He probably wouldn't even be around him that much.

* * *

"Holy Salazar, Potter, it said ten and _three-quarters_ clockwise. You only did ten, and it wasn't even in any specific direction. How do you even manage that?" Draco hissed, grabbing the spoon from his lab partner. He shook his head in disgust as he quickly stirred three times counter-clockwise to save the potion they had been working on for the past hour.

"Sorry," Harry muttered. He stifled a yawn and ran a hand roughly through his wild, black hair. He hadn't been sleeping well since school had started three days before. He hadn't slept too well before that either honestly. _Not that it will hurt me_, he thought acerbically.

The wizard had been finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a feeling of normalcy ever since his decision to keep the horcrux attached to him. _Immortality_. He shook his head as he looked down at his Potions book, pushing the stressful thought away. _Just don't think about it_.

He just needed to focus on finishing the day's assignment without making another mistake for his partner to berate him over. It shouldn't be too hard, after all he _had_ already made a perfect batch of Draught of the Living Dead in fifth year. Although he had used Professor Snape's old book to do so... Why had he even signed up for this class? Right. He needed it. He glanced over at his assigned Potions partner.

"-How you even managed to win the vial of Felix Feli-"

Harry rolled his eyes, blocking out the wizard again as he looked back down at his text. He noticed a piece of folded parchment poking out between the last few pages of his Potions book. He frowned and flipped to the back of the text to find what appeared to be a note. Odd. He picked it up and examined it cautiously with furrowed eyebrows. There was nothing written on the outside. It was sealed with an unmarked blood-red, wax seal. He started to open it-

"-Don't do that," Draco snapped, snatching the parchment from his hands and then dropping it unceremoniously into their cauldron.

Harry's mouth dropped open, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Why did you do that?" he shouted, watching in dismay as the edges of the note quickly turned black and then caught on fire, curling up on itself as it began to sink into the black potion.

"Ah, it's ready," Draco said in a pleased tone, seemingly deaf to the dark-haired wizard's exclamations beside him.

Harry's jaw clenched tightly as he glared darkly at the wizard. "I said - _why_ did you do that, Malfoy!" he demanded.

Draco turned to him slowly. He lifted a single, platinum-shaded eyebrow and shook his head, rolling his eyes, clearly not impressed by the wizard's display of anger. "_Really_. You ask the most inane questions, Potter."

Harry's right hand clenched into a fist, and he found it making contact with Draco's jaw before he could stop it.

* * *

"Detention! How did I get detention for being _hit_? Favoritism, _blatant_ favoritism is what it is." Draco stomped through the Forbidden Forest a few feet ahead of Harry under the night sky, holding a lantern disdainfully in his right hand. "And _how_ are we supposed to defend ourselves? I think there's something wrong with our new Potions professor. He doesn't-"

Harry ignored the blond and looked around at the ground, searching for the mushroom Hagrid had sent them out to look for. He wasn't overly worried about his own safety. He would be fine. He frowned at the not so comforting thought.

"What _are_ you doing, Potter?"

Harry looked up slowly, the sharp question pulling him from his morbid musing. "Looking for-"

Draco held up a silencing hand, Harry for some reason stopping to see why. "They grow on _trees_, not the ground. And not just _any_ tree before you start searching _every_ bloody trunk."

Harry blinked, taking offense to the statement as he ignored the fact that he had been about to do just that. He studied the platinum blond, who was standing in an all too expectant manner. Harry rolled his eyes and let out a begrudging sigh.

"What type of tree, _Draco_?" he asked in a bored fashion, finding a sadistic pleasure in seeing the blond's mouth drop open if only for a second when he used his first name.

Draco's expression darkened as he lowered the lantern to his waist side, the light casting shadows across his face, lending admirably to the intensity of his scowl. "A Corniphilus tree - _Harry_."

Harry held back a growl as he felt the distinct urge to hit the wizard again, a satisfied smirk crossing the blond's aristocratic features as he continued to wait.

"And do you know _where_ to find this tree?" he asked between clenched teeth. It wouldn't do to get detention during detention. He just wanted to find the bloody mushroom and go back to his dorm.

Draco scoffed, "Of course I do. I'm not an _idiot_." He shot Harry an unimpressed but somehow also disappointed look, turned and began to walk through the woods once more.

Harry trailed behind him. He looked around as he followed the wizard, hoping to find the elusive tree he had never heard of until just a few moments' past. As he scanned the woods, his mind began to drift back to a detention in first year he had served with the blond in a similar fashion. He eyed the wizard, who was walking in a wholly unaffected and surprisingly confident manner, not resembling the Slytherin he remembered at all at that moment.

The thought shot a sharp feeling of unease through his chest. He had admittedly been struggling with the intangible sensation of feeling oddly stuck as everyone around him continued to change and move forward. He shook the thought away. He was just being neurotic. He began to search the trees again in vain as he rubbed at his chest, trying to rid himself of the disconcerting tension.

"_Ahhh_!"

Harry's gaze shot up to find Draco swiping wildly at his shoulder. The blond let out another noise of distress, did an odd sideways step that almost looked like a dance and then began to stomp viciously at the ground in front of him.

"Vile creatures," the blond muttered to himself, stomping once more at the piece of ground in front of him. He glanced up at Harry and shot him a snooty look, jerking his chin up. He then began to walk again but more quickly.

Harry walked over and peered down, a smile forming on his lips. Spider. He let out a soft laugh. Maybe he wasn't so different. He looked up to see that he was suddenly alone and without light. He cursed silently as he searched around him for a glimmer from the lantern. "Malfoy?" he called out in a tense voice, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

He heard a rustling sound come from behind a line of trees some yards away to his left. He reached instinctively for his wand only to remember they had been taken away. He took a few small steps back. Maybe it was just Fang, or even better, Hagrid. _And if it isn't, I'll be fine,_ he tried to convince his suddenly anxious body. He took another quiet step back, his feet clearly disagreeing with him on the subject.

"Harry. Potter." A tall, dark-haired man in a long, black cloak stepped out from behind the trees and into the opening, a wide smile gracing his lips. His skin was a deathly pallor, recognizable even in the dim moonlight, and his eyes a bright crimson. Vampire.

Harry's eyes widened minutely as he began to mentally scour his mind for a useful piece of information to use against the man that wouldn't require the use of his wand. His lips pressed tightly together. Shit. He would run for it.

Cool, red eyes met alarmed, green orbs.

A soft smile crept eerily up the vampire's mouth, exposing gleaming white teeth. "And what, may I ask, is the _Chosen One_ doing alone in the Forbidden Forest?" he paused, his sharp gaze shifting down to the wizard's empty hands, and his smile widened, displaying impressively sharp canines. "And _without_ his wand?"

Harry took another small step back, almost tripping on a shallow root as his focus remained glued on the vampire, who had begun slowly approaching him. He needed a distraction. "Detention."

The vampire let out a throaty laugh, stopping in his approach. "I would have thought _you_ would be exempt from such forms of punishment." He cocked his head to the side and lifted both eyebrows, his intense gaze boring into Harry's. "But, I can't complain. This will be _much_ easier than I had originally thought."

Harry glanced around discreetly, hoping Draco didn't make the mistake of coming back to search for him and finding himself grateful for once of the wizard's complete dislike for him. "What do you want from me?" he asked, trying to sound calm, but his traitorous voice coming out notably tense.

The vampire let out a dry laugh and began to approach him once more. "What do I want _indeed_." He stopped, leaving only a few feet between them, Harry's legs itching to put more space between them. "You can give me something. _Something_ that has eluded me... for far too long." The vampire's gaze suddenly clouded, a faraway look overtaking it.

Harry tensed his muscles in preparation.

The vampire's gaze snapped back, hardening. "But not any longer," he said sharply and took a deliberate step forward.

Harry made to run, but in a flash cold, strong hands were digging painfully into his arms and holding him firmly in place. "You weren't going to leave, were you?" disturbingly red lips asked in feigned surprise.

Harry opened his mouth to lie when a sharp pain shot up the entire left side of his neck and head. He heard someone groan, and everything went black.

* * *

"Harry?"

Harry blinked slowly as he sat up, his vision blurry. He reached instinctively for his glasses on the nightstand that sat to the left of his bed, his hand only finding air.

"Here."

Harry took the offered, blurry glasses and put them on. He looked around the suddenly clear room: neatly made beds with tightly tucked, white sheets, white curtains for temporary walls, uncomfortable plastic chairs for discouraging lingering guests, and the sterile smell of healing potions. He was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

He looked over to Hermione, who was sitting by his side in a chair. "What happened?" he asked groggily as he scratched his head, his brain stubbornly resisting to work.

"Hagrid found you and Malfoy in the forest an hour ago," Hermione said quietly, glancing around the room anxiously.

"The _forest_?" Suddenly flashes of woods and lips and eyes... deep red eyes ran through his mind. His hand shot up to his neck. He felt for a bandage or a wound but found nothing, the area not even tender. "I don't understand..."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak when Madam Pomfrey opened the door to her office, Headmistress McGonagall stepping out behind her.

"Remember Poppy, keep the wards up and do not allow _anyone_ in there," McGonagall said in a quiet, clipped tone.

"Of course, Minerva." The mediwitch nodded sharply, shooting a stern look over towards Harry and Hermione before following the headmistress to the doors.

* * *

Harry sighed and opened his eyes in defeat. He couldn't sleep. He grabbed for his glasses, shoving them on quickly before glancing around the darkened room. He noted the absent light from under the mediwitch's room and pushed himself out of his bed quietly. He walked along cold stone floors with bare feet, his eyes trained on the closed door at the back of the hospital.

He needed to find out what had happened. Hermione had been swiftly shooed out by Madam Pomfrey after Professor McGonagall had left, and the mediwitch had not been forthcoming with any details of the night when pressed, merely informing Harry he would be able to speak with the headmistress in the morning.

Harry stopped just in front of the door and waved his wand, running through several unlocking spells until he heard a soft click.

He took in a slow breath and pushed open the door slowly and glanced around. The bed in the center of the private room was empty, the sheets messed. He stepped in further, the door shutting softly behind him. Where was he?

"_Potter_."

Harry spun around to see Draco stalking towards him, hands clenched and nostrils flared, his eyes black, no sign of grey in them.

Harry's wand arm shot up.

Draco stopped and let out a harsh laugh, his hands lifting casually in concession, almost in what Harry would describe a mocking manner. "What are you going to do, Potter? _Kill_ me?" He let out another laugh, the noise sounding oddly bitter.

Harry's gaze shifted down to a white bandage, covering the left side of Draco's neck. "What happened out there? In the forest?" he asked, holding his wand still out and pointed at the blond's chest as his mind began to come to its own conclusion.

Draco took a step closer, Harry taking note of his skin, which was even more pale than usual and causing the memory of the vampire to flash before his eyes unbidden. His hand tightened around the wand.

"I made the mistake of not leaving you behind is what," Draco hissed.

A memory of white teeth and then pain shot to the forefront of his mind once more. "I thought I was bit," he said, eyeing the bandage on the other wizard's neck with a sinking feeling.

Draco smirked. "If only." He touched his hand absentmindedly to the bandage and then winced, removing it quickly. "No, I guess I was a preferable target for some reason."

Harry's chin dropped. "But, I - I remember being bit. It hurt." He rubbed at the unblemished skin on his neck that proved his assumption wrong.

Draco took another step closer. "No, that was the lantern. There's a reason I wasn't a chaser. I have a terrible throwing arm," he said, his tone dry.

Harry's wand lowered to his side as the wizard's words found purchase and began to make sense. Draco had tried to save him. "You hit me with the lantern?"

Draco nodded and took a small step forward, leaving only two feet between them. "Yes, now we're even." He shot him a soft smile.

Harry blinked. He cleared his throat as he tried to make sense of the rather nice smile the wizard was directing at him.

Draco took another step forward. "After I missed... _he _took notice of me, and well - here we are," he said in an even softer voice, taking the last step to close the distance between them.

"I see." Harry blinked again, his mind feeling like mush.

Draco let out a slow breath, and Harry breathed it in deeply. It smelled like cold. Odd. He hadn't realized that was a scent. He felt his eyes begin to drift shut seemingly of their own accord.

"Do you?" Draco whispered in his ear.

Harry nodded as the cool breath ran soothingly down the side of his face and then over his neck, hovering just above the pulse in his neck. He tried to open his eyes or move or think. Something was very wrong, but he couldn't find it in himself to do anything but stand there and focus on the increasingly small puffs of air.

Suddenly the intoxicating scent was gone.

Harry's eyes popped open, his mind snapping back and dread immediately shooting into his veins like a bucket of ice water to the face. His wand shot back up, pointing accusingly at the sneering blond, who was sitting casually on his bed.

"You were going to _bite me_!" Harry shouted.

Draco let out an unapologetic laugh and reclined back onto his bed. "Yes, I was. But now I know why I was bitten instead of you."

Harry took a step forward. "What? Why?"

Draco shot him a look of complete distaste. "You don't smell appetizing at all, Potter."


	2. Chapter 2

**Immortality Bites**

* * *

**Author's Note: Next chapter. :-)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**~Chapter Two~**

* * *

Harry sat the next day, and for the first time, in the private common room that was shared between the Head Boy and Head Girl, visiting the latter of the two. "It's all my fault," he mumbled into his hands as he sat hunched over on a Gryffindor-red sofa that was placed across from a black leather one.

Hermione sat down beside her friend. "No, it's not, Harry. You would have done the same for Malfoy. It's no one's fault."

Harry shook his head. "No, you don't understand. The va-the man... He said he was looking for _me,"_ he paused, looking up at his friend. "Me _specifically_, Hermione. He was there because _I_ came back to school, and _I'm_ the reason Draco had detention in the first place."

"What did he want from you?" she asked, scooting closer, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Whatever it was, I guess he didn't want it as much as he thought, because he ended up attacking Malfoy instead," he said, his words coming out bitter.

Hermione placed a hand gently on her friend's shoulder. "Even so, it doesn't make it your fault," she persisted, shooting him a pointed look.

Harry groaned and leaned back, resting his head on the back of the sofa. He stared up at the stone ceiling. He knew it _was_ his fault. He hadn't been nearly careful enough in the forest. He had been so certain of his immortality, he had forgotten there were other things to fear than just death. _Like being cursed for eternity. Malfoy is a vampire because I punched him_. He let out a deep breath, guilt settling heavily in his chest. "Do you think he'll be allowed to attend school still?"

"Of course I _will_. What are you doing in here? I hope this isn't going to become a habit."

Harry sat up quickly at the scathing words. "What are _you _doing in here?" he asked, jumping up and holding his wand out, placing himself between Hermione and the blond wizard, who was standing just inside the room.

Draco rolled his eyes. He tapped a badge on his chest that had gone unnoticed by the dark-haired wizard. "Head boy, Potter."

Harry shot a look of bemusement over his shoulder at his friend, his wand still out. "_Why_ didn't you tell me that?" he demanded.

"I did. Several times, _actually,_" the witch replied sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. "I believe your exact words were, 'that's great, Hermione'."

Harry paused for a moment, speechless as he searched his mind for the memories. He came up blank. He shook his head. "Hermione, you _can't_ stay in here alone with - with _him_-"

"-You mean with a _vampire_?" Draco sneered, Harry turning to look at him in surprise. "That _is_ what you meant. Right?" He stalked towards him, stopping just in front of the pointed wand. "You think I'm not safe?" he hissed.

Harry's hand tightened around his wand, his anger growing as he looked into angry, black eyes. He resisted using it on the blond, reminding himself the wizard had saved him. "You tried to bite me just yesterday. How do I know you won't try it on Hermione?"

Draco let out a sharp laugh. "Good one, Potter." He turned abruptly and strode towards the door to the Head Boy dormitory, shutting it swiftly behind him without a further response.

Harry turned back to Hermione. "You can't stay in here!"

Hermione held up a hand to silence him. "Harry, _sit_," she then said firmly, patting the couch cushion beside her when he resisted.

Harry sat down slowly, settling on the edge of the sofa, his expression unchanging as he looked on the witch, who was wearing an equally stubborn expression. "What, don't tell me you trust Malfoy now?"

Hermione shook her head. "No." She held up her hand again when Harry opened his mouth. "_But_, I don't think I have anything to worry about."

Harry frowned. "And why's that? He can't control himself. He's a vampire!" He let out an incredulous laugh. Ron was going to murder him.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, do you remember when we learned about vampires in DADA class in third year?" she asked slowly, her words taking on a superior tone that irked the messy-haired wizard.

"Yes, they're immortal, and they thrive off _human blood_, Hermione!" Harry shouted, his concerns only growing from the conversation.

"Yes, and they _also _have impeccable control and will only bite if they choose to, or if they are _attracted_ to someone—and even then—they can usually restrain themself."

Harry blinked. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well, Draco doesn't want to drain anyone. That would be murder, and it's an offense punishable by Azkaban—for life—which is a _long_ sentence for someone like him," she paused, Harry looking somewhat abashed. "And he _definitely_ wouldn't want to turn me, because then there's the chance I might become his mate."

He shot her a look of complete bewilderment.

Hermione let out an exasperated breath. "Harry, Draco is not attracted to people like _me_." She raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Why, because of your blood heritage?" He felt all sympathy for the blond draining from him suddenly.

"No - no, not that, I mean..." she paused, her features screwing up into a look of awkward discomfort as she eyed the wizard's door with noticable apprehension before whispering, "Because I don't have the right body parts."

Harry sat quietly for a moment as he eyed his friend dubiously. What body parts did-"Malfoy's gay?" he asked loudly in surprise.

Hermione grimaced and nodded slowly. She shot a wary glance over to the closed door again as if she expected it to burst off its hinges at any moment. "I thought you knew," she said in a cautious tone, an odd expression on her face.

Harry shook his head, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling trying to take up residence in his chest. "No. I. I didn't." He frowned as the witch's tone clicked in his head. "How would _I_ know?" he asked, his tone suddenly taking on a defensive edge.

Hermione shifted in her seat. "I don't know," she hedged. "You two have always just seemed so preoccupied with each other. And Ron said you used to stare at his name on the map at night for hours in fifth year. And then there's... well, Ron and I, we just assumed you two..."

Harry jumped up from his seat. "I'm _not_ into Malfoy if that's what you're saying," he said curtly. _If_, he scoffed to himself. That was clearly what she was saying. Why hadn't Ron said anything to him about it? "Just because I'm-" he paused and then sat back down, forcing his muscles to relax somewhat.

"I was watching him, because I didn't trust him, Hermione," he said forcefully. "And Malfoy _obviously_ hates me, because he almost bit me last night." Why had he stopped though if that was his motivation? He had only said he didn't smell appetizing. Was that an insult? He let out a dry laugh. Of course Draco would find a way to insult him, even if it was his reason for not killing him.

Hermione nodded reluctantly, her movements growing more confident when Harry growled. "Of course. Of course, I'm sorry, Harry. Forget I said it."

* * *

Blood. Sweet, tempting blood. Draco held back a moan as he slid down the door of his dorm, his chest shaking as he laughed silently. What was wrong with him?

_You're a vampire, you fool,_ he chastised himself harshly. He ran his hands up into platinum locks and pulled at them as his traitorous mouth filled with venom, his entire body vibrating with an almost uncontrollable want for the wizard on the other side of the door. He was supposed to have more control than this. He knew about vampires, and he had just refreshed himself on them very thoroughly the last two nights when he couldn't sleep by reading every book he could find from the library on them. On himself.

He let out a dry laugh as his body rebelled, and his once sharp mind worked far too quickly even for him. He swallowed hard to force down the bile that had begun to rise in his throat. He was a vampire. His family would hate him. He was the Malfoy heir. Or was he even that anymore? What had he been thinking, trying to save Harry? _Potter_ - his mind shifted to the unbelievably frustrating wizard.

He had lied to him.

He smelled delicious. Maybe not appetizing. No, that wasn't the right word. But undeniably tempting nonetheless. As soon as Draco had smelled him through the door in the hospital, his body had began to hum for one thing. It thrummed with a need for the taste of the wizard's blood.

Draco groaned. His chest heaved as he held his muscles perfectly still. He couldn't trust them, not with the blasted wizard so close by. He leaned his head down, his chin almost touching his chest as he covered his ears so he could pretend he was blocking out the too loud voices in the common room discussing him like he didn't have extra sensitive hearing since the change.

He clenched his teeth together tightly, his jaw flexing. He wouldn't bite him. He wanted to, but he wouldn't. He was only confusing his new instincts with his actual desires. He would just have to learn to adjust. Acclimate. He was infected with vampirism, that was indisputable, but he was still a person. He wasn't a monster. He just needed to work through things in a slightly different manner than he was used to.

He heard the wizard's bushy-haired friend make her way up the stairs to her dorm and then listened for the wizard to leave.

Draco let his head bang softly on the door behind him and then took in a steadying breath, his senses unexpectedly filling with the wizard's approaching scent. A smile crept up the corners of his lips unbidden.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" Harry asked as he stood up, feeling slightly more reassured but still wary on behalf of his friend. He shot a suspicious glance over to where the noise had come from, the Head Boy's room. A groan perhaps? The thought caused the uncomfortable feeling in his chest from earlier to return.

Hermione shook her head as she pushed herself off the sofa. "No. Listen Harry, I'm going to get some sleep. I have Arithmancy first thing in the morning," she said, stifling a yawn.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, all right. I'll let myself out," he said quietly, his ears still searching for another noise from the room. He heard it again. He shot the witch a discreet look, she was collecting her books from the sofa table lazily, seemingly oblivious to the noises.

"Night, Harry," she said softly and patted him on the head as she walked past him. She trudged up the stairs to her dorm, the sound of the door clicking softly behind her was followed by a muted thud from the other room.

Harry made to walk towards the exit, but found his feet inexplicably leading him straight to Draco's room. His hand landed on the door, and he pulled it open quietly to find himself looking straight into onyx eyes.

"Malfoy," he said quietly in greeting.

"Potter," the blond responded from his bedside a few feet's distance from the door, matching his cool tone despite the small upturn of his lips.

Harry felt a shiver run up his spine. There was something different about his voice lately. His mannerisms too. He still insulted him and glared at him, but there was some underlying emotion that seemed laced, intertwined in the wizard's words and actions that put him on edge. _Intense loathing probably,_ he mused ruefully. He _was_ the reason he was a vampire after all. "I'm sorry," he blurted.

"Sorry? For _what_, Potter? Walking into my room uninvited?" Draco asked sharply, his smiling lips curling into a harsh sneer.

Harry considered leaving but found himself walking all the way in instead, his hand falling from the door as it shut behind him. "No," he said quickly. He looked around the room as he fumbled to gather his thoughts. When had he become such a bumbling fool around the wizard, and when had he decided it was a good idea to walk into his private quarters? He held back a grimace when he remembered too late he had left his wand in the common room.

He cleared his throat and looked back up at a smirking Draco. He couldn't read his mind could he? He shook the absurd thought from his head and ran a hand into his already wild hair. "No, I mean - I should thank you for saving me fr-" he stopped suddenly. He was about to say 'from being bitten'. Was that insulting? Draco _had_ been bitten instead. Would he-

"-Don't thank me for that," the blond said shortly. He walked past him slowly, barely resisting the urge to stop as he made his way over to the dresser in his room, placing the most amount of space between them possible. He needed to keep his hands busy so he didn't use them for something else. _Like restraining Potter so you can drain him_, his mind suggested eagerly. He laughed harshly. He had been mistaken. He _was_ a monster. He jerked open a drawer. "_Leave me."_

Harry studied the lean wizard as he rifled through his drawers rather aggressively. "I just want you to know... It was, it was really..." He sighed as he worked to gather his thoughts. "I can't thank you enough. If you ever need anything, I mean absolutely _anything_-"

"-_Stop_." Draco grasped the sides of the drawer, his already white knuckles growing impossibly whiter. Why was he saying such things? It was almost like he wanted him to bite him. He released his grip and turned around slowly. Maybe he did. He did say 'anything.'

"_Harry_," he said smoothly and began to stalk towards him. He felt venom begin to pool in his mouth.

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Draco?" he countered and found his feet slowly traveling in a backwards fashion. He bumped into the door, his right hand fumbling for the handle, his brain screaming as his unhelpful fingers grew more sluggish.

The blond let out a soft laugh and stopped just in front of him. "Do you _really_ want to know what I _need..._right now?" he asked in almost a whisper, his dark gaze trailing greedily down the wizard's inviting neck.

Harry hummed indecisively. He wasn't so sure anymore. "Yes," he forced out, hoping he was wildly misreading the wizard at that moment.

Draco pressed his lips together gently and nodded slightly. His tongue darted out and wet his lips just barely as his hand reached out and covered the wizard's, hot skin meeting his cold fingers with a shock. He felt a jolt of something shoot up through his core, and he lost his breath for a moment. He gritted his teeth, his mind beginning to work again, and looked down into vivid, green eyes.

"_Sleep_," he said sharply between clenched teeth and turned the knob for the wizard, restraining himself with all his control as the messy-haired wizard nodded slowly, backing up against the opening door, his hand still resting on the handle.

"Right. Right. Sorry," Harry said in a raspy voice. He cleared his throat and let go of the handle, stepping out of the door's path.

Draco caught the door abruptly with his hand, the dull thud jarring the tense atmosphere. "One more thing, Potter." He waited for the wizard's dark eyebrows to shoot up predictably. "_Stop_ apologizing to me. It's insulting," he said curtly and then pulled the door shut firmly.

Draco pulled out his wand, his hand shaking as he quickly locked himself in, the last shreds of control holding on tenuously. He stormed to the back of the room, breathing out heavily, trying to rid himself of the heady scent that would surely be his downfall. He stalked into his bathroom and shut the door, locking it too before sliding the wand under the door and then curling into a ball as his body tried to fight his dwindling sanity for control.

He let out an incredulous laugh. Of course he would want to kill _Harry Potter._ Who would _ever_ notice he was missing? His laughs grew as foreign feelings coursed through his body.

* * *

"Draco, you look like shit."

Draco groaned and rolled onto his back to look up into mischievous brown eyes. "Blaise, how did you get in here?" he asked sleepily, his fingertips trailing along rough stone, telling him what his eyes hadn't realized yet. He was on the bathroom floor.

"You used the same locking charm that you used on me in third year when we had that fight," the wizard said with a flippant shoulder shrug. He leaned down slowly and eyed him with a careful look. "How are you feeling?"

Draco rolled his eyes and pushed himself up, his friend backing up to give him space. _He's probably afraid I'll bite him. _He didn't blame him. He took in a cautious breath, his mouth pooling from the wizard's scent with venom that made his mouth too dry. He swallowed and ignored the feeling. It was uncomfortable but quite bearable. He let out a relieved sigh and stood up slowly. He had to try to not move too quickly. It unnerved himself as much as it did other people.

"Draco?"

Draco looked over to see his friend shooting him a more openly worried look. He needed to not get so caught up in his thoughts. He found it even harder since he had become a - well, he didn't want to think about it. He forced a smirk.

"I'm fantastic, Blaise," he drawled and then walked over to the sink. He gripped the sides, leaning heavily on the white, porcelain bowl and looked into the mirror. He found unfamiliar, black eyes glaring back at him, too red lips, and his skin was clearly going to be the envy of all pureblooded Slytherin witches.

He snorted. Just what he needed, more female attention. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to add some color fruitlessly. He'd need blood for that, which he would be getting as soon as he could make his way to the hospital wing. He swallowed again, ambivalent feelings warring for control at the thought. He looked over to his unusually silent friend. "Why are you being so quiet?" he asked in a sharp tone.

Blaise sighed. "I don't know. You looked like you needed a minute."

Draco felt a surge of gratitude fill his chest. He had honestly expected the wizard to abandon him when he had told him the day before about what had happened to him. What he was. He probably would have, had it been the other way around.

"You're such a Hufflepuff sometimes, Zabini," he said in an offhanded fashion as he stood upright and then walked out of the bathroom briskly. He pulled open a drawer and began to busy himself with searching for clothes for the day.

Blaise laughed as he leaned on the doorway. "Yeah, maybe... So, do you want me to go with you to see Madam Pomfrey today?" he asked, his voice suddenly tense despite his obvious attempt at nonchalance.

Draco's hands stilled. He clenched his jaw and forced them to begin moving again, but failed at trying to make it appear casual. He grabbed a pair of socks and tried to strangle them. "_No_."

"All right. That's fine," Blaise said easily and walked over to the wizard's unused bed and plopped down on it casually. "It's nice you have your own room now..."

Draco smiled slightly as he pulled open another drawer and picked up a dark grey shirt. Black would be too contrasting and white... He was slightly afraid to see how much closer he was to that shade just then. Grey was good. "Yeah, and why's that?" he asked in feigned innocence.

"Because, now I can bring my _friends_ up here whenever I want."

Draco turned around slowly. "I wouldn't advise that."

"Not any guys. Just girls," the wizard said quickly.

Draco shook his head, feeling slightly appeased. "Still. I don't want anyone to catch on to my... _circumstances_." He pulled off the wrinkled shirt he had slept in and then tugged on a fresh button up, forcing his reluctant fingers to work. He had to go to class, but he was already sensing he would need very quiet evenings to regroup to his new life.

He swallowed again, his gaze flitting to the window as he grabbed a tie blindly, wrapping it around his neck and pulling his collar down over it. He still hadn't gotten an owl from his mother. She had to know by now. McGonagall had told him she would be going to Malfoy Manor the night before. He looked back to Blaise, who was once again shooting him a patient but knowing look as he deftly knotted his tie.

"Come on, Zabini."


	3. Chapter 3

**Immortality Bites**

**Author's Note: New chapter. Enjoy LoupEtoile. And as for all of you other fantastic readers - please do enjoy as well!**

* * *

**~Chapter Three~**

* * *

"Madam Pomfrey," Draco said in a forced polite voice as he stood just inside the mediwitch's small but neatly kept office early Monday morning. There were shelves covering the walls with healer books and a small window behind the witch's desk that looked out onto the court yard.

"Mister Malfoy, good to see you," the witch replied as she stood up from behind her desk, her greeting slightly more genial than he was accustomed to. "Please follow me," she said quietly and then proceeded to walk out of the office.

The blond wizard followed behind the older witch towards the room at the far end of the hospital wing, glancing discreetly around the infirmary. He was relieved to find it empty except for a soundly sleeping first or second year. His eyes finally settled on the door to the room they were approaching, the same one he had stayed in after the attack. He swallowed hard as his heart began to pick up speed, the only outwardly signs of his hesitation the slight slowing of his last few steps before entering the room. The blond glanced around the space, his gaze settling on the bed where he had laid. It had only been a few days, but it seemed like it had been much longer, the memory feeling warped and dulled already from constant recall.

"I spoke with Madam Blau, the mediwitch at Durmstrang," Madam Pomfrey began immediately in a clipped tone after shutting the door, pulling the vampire from his musings. "They have a few students there that require this treatment, and I think that three units will accomplish what we are aiming for, a normalized appearance and weakened impulses. Correct?"

Draco forced a curt nod.

The older witch nodded slowly in return. "Good. Now, you must remember to come to me once a week, no matter what, at the same time, or you will be putting yourself and all around you in serious danger. As you know, once you start treatment you will be more susceptible to lapses in control if you are to stop. It is the nature of your condition."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall was quite clear, thank you," he said somewhat tersely. He hated the choice of words. Treatment. Units. Condition. He scoffed mentally, _It's as if she thinks she's treating me for a bad case of dragonpox. _If only he were so lucky. He resisted fidgeting, feeling more agitated as he stood in the room where he had first come to terms with what had happened to him, waiting to do something he both dreaded and anticipated at the same time.

The mediwitch studied him for a long moment. "All right then. Please, have a seat," she said in a more gentle tone, motioning to the bed before turning and walking over to a new cupboard in the corner of the room as the young wizard sat stiffly on the edge of the bed.

She used her wand to unlock the cupboard and then unlocked another door that was inside of it. "You might want to hold your breath for a moment. I've been told that the smell is quite potent with it being so concentrated," she warned as she continued to work.

Draco ignored her. He could handle it. Suddenly a tangy smell filled the air. He breathed it in slowly, his eyes falling shut as the mouth-watering scent invaded his senses, venom coating his teeth in anticipation. He clenched his jaw tightly as he waited, all thoughts quickly replaced with only one. Thirst.

* * *

Draco strode down the hallways, his platinum fringe once again framing icy grey eyes. _For the moment._ He would need to keep up his Monday hospital visits if he wanted to keep his features more human-like in appearance. His jaw tensed at the thought. He didn't feel less human. No, no that wasn't completely true. He didn't feel less human when he was _alone_.

At that moment though, walking amidst his fellow classmates, he felt decidedly inhuman. His gaze shifted sharply from person to person, some he knew personally, some he recognized and others he couldn't place. He wasn't interested though in who they were or what they were doing but rather which would make the best snack as his teeth remained perpetually coated with venom. He felt conscious of how he held his mouth shut as if he had something to hide. His canines weren't that noticeable. He ran his tongue along one carefully.

"Draco! Where have you been the last couple days?"

Draco held back a sigh. "Hello, Pansy," he greeted his friend as he continued to walk, the witch following beside him. He felt uncomfortable around the girl, not having told her what had happened yet, and he wasn't looking forward to it either. He was still expecting Blaise to come to his senses and abandon him.

"Blaise said to tell you he wouldn't be in DADA, but he'd see you in Potions afterward."

Draco stopped mid-step. _Potions_. He had forgotten he would have to work with Potter in Potions. He considered skipping the class only for a moment, quickly dismissing the idea. He couldn't do that. He was only attending his last year in order to pursue becoming a Potions Master, cutting was out of the question. He would be fine. He wasn't really thirsty anymore. He started walking again, his feet picking up their pace as his rogue mind did the same, doing its best to plan the Gryffindor savior's untimely end.

"Draco? Is something wrong? Blaise said you skipped breakfast because you were feeling ill? You do look a little pale," the Slytherin witch said as she struggled to keep up in her high heels.

The blond looked down at the dark-haired witch. "No, I feel _fine_."

* * *

Harry sat in DADA class, his gaze trained on an especially upright blond out of the corner of his vision. He was sitting on the edge of his chair and drumming his fingers on the table. He studied the seemingly agitated movement, trying to decide if it was out of boredom or due to something far less benign.

"Harry, stop it," Hermione whispered from the seat beside him.

"Stop what?" Harry whispered back as he continued to watch, the wizard stretching his fingers out and splaying them in a tense fashion before he began drumming them again. What was wrong with him? He wasn't even taking notes. Harry tilted his head, noting the wizard's clenched jaw. He looked like he was struggling with something. Did he-

"-Staring at Malfoy."

Harry turned to his friend. "I'm not!" he whispered harshly.

Hermione lifted one eyebrow.

Harry sighed and shot a quick glance back over at the wizard, who he was not staring at. He just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to hurt anyone. Hermione had insisted that vampires had excellent self control even as a newly turned one, but he just couldn't reconcile that with his own interactions with the blond. No, he had definitely been on edge both times. His eyes narrowed as he watched the wizard shift in his seat, sliding back in his chair only to scoot forward once more.

"_Harry_!"

Harry broke his gaze and looked back over at his friend. "Fine. Maybe I am," he paused, looking up at their new teacher, a portly and bald wizard named Allister Brown, who enjoyed wearing far too much brown, before continuing in a hushed tone, "But something's _not_ right. He just seems. I don't know... _Different_." He frowned at the inadequate but to-be-expected description of someone who had just recently become a vampire. There was something else about the blond that was putting him on edge as of recent, but he couldn't quite place it, something other than the obvious of him being a blood-thirsty snob. He quirked a small smile and looked down at the text in front of him.

"Okay, now please pick a partner for the project and not someone from your own House," Professor Brown said from the front of the room. The sound of chairs sliding back reluctantly against the stone floor filled the room.

"Project? What project?" Harry looked over to his friend for an explanation.

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "We have to come up with our own defensive spell for NEWTS. It's a semester long project." She stood up quickly and walked off to find a partner.

Harry looked around the room, pushing himself up slowly as he searched for a possible partner from Slytherin. His gaze landed on a still-sitting blond, a small group of Gryffindor witches whispering and giggling at a nearby table as they ogled the wizard.

Harry's eyes widened, and he found himself almost jogging over. He couldn't let one of them pair up with Draco. He stopped beside the wizard at the same time as Parvati Patil.

"Malfoy, do you want to be my partner?" he asked quickly, his words coming out a bit manic in his rush, startling himself as much as the witch he had cut off.

Draco looked up into surprised green eyes. He blinked. "All right," he said simply and stood up, slinging his schoolbag over his right shoulder. "Let's go to the library then," he said in an offhanded manner.

"The library?" Harry asked as he stood planted in place, not noticing the glare he was receiving from Parvati, his mind still processing what had just happened. He had asked Draco to be his partner for the entire semester, and the wizard had accepted without hesitation.

"Yes, for _books_... In order to start our research," he said dryly. He sniffed nonchalantly, and his brain slammed to a halt as something clicked in his mind. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips, and he took a step closer to the wizard, recognizing the extra scent on him with his thirst satiated. Pheromones. _Shit_. The blond swallowed hard, keeping his expression blank. Why had he accepted his offer?

Harry nodded jerkily as he looked up at the slightly taller wizard, who was standing uncomfortably close. "Right. Research. Of course. Let me grab my things." He took a step back and almost tripped over a table before turning and making his way back to his desk.

* * *

Draco opened his eyes, which were once again black, his grey eyes having slowly darkened as the evening had progressed as the wizard spent it alone in his room. It was late on Sunday night, and he had been lying on his bed for at least a few hours, sleep eluding him as he thought about the trip to the hospital wing he would need to make in the morning, but something kept distracting him. The whisper of a scent. He finally gave in to the urge and breathed in deeply, concentrating on singling the maddening scent out. Yes, he had not imagined it. He pushed himself up out of his bed and padded quietly towards the door, his room lit only by the pale, yellow light of the moon. He stopped in front of it, breathed in again, and his forehead fell forward and landed with a soft thud against the wood, his bangs softening the hit. _Why is he out there?_

The blond groaned softly. It was hard enough working beside him in Potions every bloody day, his scent amplified by the excess heat from the fire under their cauldron. He also had to spend three evenings a week with his new DADA partner in the usually abandoned library. It was almost as if he was trying to torture him with his presence. He looked down at the door handle and debated on what he should do. He _should_ go back to sleep, but he couldn't do that. He hadn't been asleep in the first place. He definitely shouldn't open the door. He listened to the sound of slow, heavy breaths that were indicative of sleeping.

His hand landed on the doorknob and turned it slowly. As he pushed it open, his eyes alighted on a certain dark-haired wizard, who was lying on the Gryffindor red couch in black sweatpants and no shirt, his head turned to the side and displaying his neck in a tempting manner. Draco tilted his head to the side. _At least for a vampire_, he amended.

A dark smile slowly curled the corners of his mouth as he began to walk silently towards the couch. He stopped just in front of him and looked down, studying the messy-haired wizard, who was sleeping without a pillow or blanket. He took in a small, tentative breath. There was something odd about his scent. It was by far the most tempting one he had come across at the school but in almost a foreboding way. He leaned down and poked the wizard in the arm.

Harry groaned, his eyes opening slowly. "Malfoy?" he asked in a sleepy voice. He blinked a few times and then sat up abruptly. "What are you doing out here?"

Draco let out a small laugh. "It's my common room. What are _you _doing out here?" He sat down on the couch across from the tense wizard, shooting him an expectant look.

Harry relaxed somewhat. "I. I was..." He trailed off as he tried to smooth his wild hair down.

"Protecting Granger?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "I must say, you're not doing an overly impressive job. You were completely out of it. She could be lying up in her bed completely drained for all you know."

Harry fought the urge to run up the stairs and check on her. That was obviously what he wanted. "You think this all really funny don't you?" he asked harshly.

Draco sniffed and shifted in his seat, his left arm stretching out and resting along the back of the couch, his posture belying his irritation. "Actually I don't, not beyond your irrational fears at least. Do you think I should find it amusing that I am no longer considered a 'wizard' by the Ministry's standards?" He stopped, not having meant to have shared his concerns with the wizard. He took in a slow breath, and the Gryffindor's scent flooded his senses, making his every cell feel like it would catch fire. He clenched his jaw and waited for it to subside. He would have to remember not to do that around the wizard.

"No. I. I'm sorry." Harry leaned forward, shooting the wizard an apologetic look.

Draco gritted his teeth. "Don't. Apologize. _Anymore_."

Harry nodded slowly. He ran a hand roughly through his hair, his gaze flitting around the dark room before landing back on the wizard across from him. "Can I ask you something?"

Draco lifted one eyebrow.

Harry sighed, assuming the wizard had consented and asked in a careful tone, "How bad is it?" He shot a quick glance over his shoulder at Hermione's door. "I mean... the thirst?"

Draco lifted his chin slightly, his gaze locked on the wizard in a slightly predatory fashion, unnerving himself. "I'm not going to bite Granger."

"What if you lose control?" Harry asked quickly.

Draco blinked. "I won't."

Harry sighed and scooted to the edge of the sofa. "How-"

"-_Listen_, Potter," Draco said, cutting him off quickly. "I have no aspirations of becoming a murderer—despite what you may believe—and I'm not attracted to Granger in the least. _Believe me_."

Harry shot him a tight look of disbelief but slowly relaxed, and he found himself nodding. "All right." He stopped himself from apologizing again. He looked around the room. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked as he ran an agitated hand over his arm.

Draco cocked his head to the side, a small smile forming on his lips. "Are you making polite conversation?" he asked, finding that it didn't annoy him nearly as much as he would have assumed.

Harry leaned back, resting against the couch. "Yeah, I guess I am," he said, his restless hand shifting up to his hair. "Listen, I know you don't want to hear it again so I won't say it, but I - I owe you."

Draco licked his lips slowly, his enhanced vision allowing him to run his gaze over the wizard's tone torso as he stretched out. _Potter is really fit_. He felt his control suddenly begin to slip, and he found himself standing up. He walked over and sat down beside the wizard unthinkingly. "You owe me?" he asked in a smooth voice as he scooted closer.

Harry nodded jerkily as he eyed him warily. "Ah, yeah... I mean. If you need any-"

"-_Don't_," Draco said sharply, catching himself suddenly and regaining some control. He closed his eyes as he tried to keep from losing it so close to the wizard.

"Are you feeling okay?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Just _stop_ offering me things," he said, forcing the words out between clenched teeth as he fought both the urge to bite and touch the wizard.

Harry swallowed, his pulse picking up speed as he studied the tense blond sitting beside him in the dark common room. "Right. Ah, and why's that?"

Draco let out an unamused laugh. "Because I might just take you up on it."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. What was wrong with that? Did he think he didn't actually mean it? "That's kind of the point."

Draco cursed silently and scooted closer, giving in to one of the urges in hopes it would ease the other, and suddenly his side was pressing against the wizard's. Heat began to seep into his body, warmth spreading first through his core and then outward, caressing his limbs like a long-lost lover as it travelled all the way to the tips, enveloping his entire body. He let out a sigh. He hadn't even realized how much he had missed the heat. He leaned his head back on the couch, his eyelids suddenly heavy. "Fine. If you really want to help just stay right like that," he said in a suddenly tired voice.

Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You mean exactly like this?" he asked, thinking he had misunderstood as they sat pressed against each other, neither of the wizards wearing a shirt.

Draco hummed his assent, his head only nodding ever so slightly as the intoxicating warmth continued to blissfully dull his overworked senses, his mind slowing down - sleep stealing him away for the first time in three days.

* * *

Draco yawned and stretched. He was lying on his back, a comfortable warm blanket lying on top of him. A heavy warm blanket. He took in a deep breath and then venom began to pool eagerly in his mouth. He frowned. The blanket moved and let out a low groan and was decidedly _male_.

Grey eyes popped open, green eyes staring back in alarm. He blinked, and the other set of eyes blinked in response.

"Potter?"

Harry let out a startled noise and rolled off, falling to the floor with a small thud.

Draco sat up instantly.

Harry let out a surprised noise at the quick movement and scooted back on the floor until he was leaning against the other couch.

"What's wrong? Afraid, _Potter_?" Draco sneered as the wizard stared at him in a way that made him feel uncomfortably self-concious.

"No. No, just surprised is all," Harry said and then cleared his throat, pushing himself up slowly to add merit to the statement. "You're really fast," he hedged.

Draco stood up, his gaze running swiftly over the wizard before scanning the rest of the room. "Yes, and you're slow."

Harry frowned. "I suppose so..." His gaze fell on the wizard before him, and all intelligible thoughts drained from his mind. He hadn't gotten a good look at the wizard in the dark. Draco was standing in a pair of grey silk pajama pants and no shirt, his pale skin flawless over lean muscles. His eyes trailed up and landed on two small, red almost-scars at the base of his neck and then quickly continued on until they met grey eyes. Harry blinked.

"Your _eyes_," he said in a surprised voice.

"What about them?" Draco asked in a cool voice, trying to hide the fact that he was agitated. He would have thought that the wizard had noticed his black eyes before. He had seen him right after the incident after all.

"They're. They're grey again," Harry responded.

Draco stood completely still for a moment. "I'm sorry?" That was impossible.

"I thought last night they were-" Harry stopped when Draco walked past him and into his room, shutting the door swiftly behind him. "Black," he said to himself.

* * *

Draco stood in his bathroom, staring at his eyes. They _were_ grey. _Why_ were they grey? He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. Still grey. He shook his head. It didn't make any sense. What was different? He hadn't done anything out of the norm. He definitely hadn't bitten anyone. He would remember. Wouldn't he? The only thing out of the ordinary that he could remember was he had awoken with-

_Harry_.

Draco took a step back from the mirror. That didn't make sense. How could the wizard have had any effect? He thought back and remembered the extreme warmth he had felt when touching the wizard, as if it were heating his very core.

No that wasn't right. It had been almost like the wizard had lent his body the ability to heat itself again. He took another step back, dread filling his chest and making him feel like he might choke on it as his mind recalled the numerous books he had read over the past week. Some vampire lines were thought to be able to leach a wizard's life magic just through proximity or touch.

Draco turned abruptly and walked out of the room. He would need to make a trip to the library before he went to the hospital.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Harry looked up blankly at the tall blond, who was standing by their table in Potions, having just arrived. "Fine... And you?" he asked in an unsure voice, noting that despite the wizard being impeccably dressed there was an air of disarray exuding from him. He cleared his throat.

Draco waved a hand dismissively, pulling out his text and then putting his bag down on the floor before taking a cautious step closer to him. He set his Potions book on the table in a deliberate fashion, looked down at the space between them and then took a small step closer, leaving less than a foot between them. He glanced around the room and then whispered, "Do you feel weak?"

Harry took a step away. "_No_. Why do you ask?"

The blond eyed him again, seeming not to believe him. After a long moment he spoke up, "You don't look ill."

Harry shot the wizard a concerned look. "That's because I'm _not_."

Draco nodded slowly. "Good," he said simply and then opened his book and lined up the ingredients in order before tapping his wand to light the fire under their cauldron. "Good."

* * *

**Please let me know how you felt about this chapter. This is my first solo Drarry work. Emoticons will suffice if you are in a hurry or just simply a reader of few words. :-P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Immortality Bites**

**Author's Note: Fun fact, I also considered Immortality Sucks as my title. Hehe. The more you know...**

**LoupEtoile, I know you're reading this. I will find you and smother you if you don't review. With love of course. So much love - you'll drown in it! Drown in it! Tehe xx**

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**~Chapter Four~**

* * *

Draco stared down at the sealed note in his hands, the noises of the Great Hall quickly drowning under the onslaught of thoughts that had begun to crash against his mind in waves. His mother had written.

He ran a finger seemingly in an idle fashion along the green, wax seal of snakes, bearing the words _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper, _a motto which no longer applied to him. Or maybe it did, but just not in the way it once had. His jaw flexed as his hands remained lax. It had been three days since she had found out and had only just owled him. Was that a good sign? He flipped it over to look at his name. The script was basically the same. Maybe a little unsteady?

"Is that a letter from your mother?" Pansy asked from his right side, leaning over to peer at the piece of still folded parchment curiously.

The blond nodded curtly, sniffing in assumed nonchalance as he set the note down on the table, the Malfoy seal staring up at him ominously. He shook the absurd thought from his mind.

The dark-haired witch furrowed her eyebrows before turning her attention to Blaise, who was sitting across from Draco. "Did you hear what happened to Potter last night?" she asked.

Blaise snorted. "Yeah, I did. I don't know if it's actually true though."

Draco lifted his fork and took a bite of food, without checking what it was beforehand. It all tasted the same since his incident. He needed to eat though to keep up appearances despite his body's inability to thrive off it any longer. He swallowed, opting not to wash the too dry food down with a sip of pumpkin juice. He found liquids even more intolerable, being too close in texture to blood but tasting nothing like it.

"What happened?" he asked in an offhanded manner as he stabbed another bite of food, ignoring the surge of venom production from the errant thought.

"Oh, I heard too," Astoria Greengrass said from a couple seats down, a smile detectable in her words that wasn't exactly pleasant.

The blond set down his fork and looked up at his housemates. They were all smiling in a similar fashion, making him inexplicably and quite suddenly feel very on edge. "Well, what is it?" he asked tersely.

Blaise looked around him and then leaned forward on his forearms, saying in a hushed tone, "The story is that he fell from his broom on the Quidditch pitch when he was higher than the stands with no cushioning charm to break his fall," he paused before adding simply, "A straight drop."

Draco's eyes widened ever so slightly. No. "_What_?"

Blaise nodded slowly, the smile still there.

The blond pushed himself up from his seat unthinkingly. Why had he fallen? That wasn't like the Gryffindor seeker. "Is he in the hospital wing or did they transfer him to St. Mungo's?"

Pansy grabbed his arm. "Neither-"

"What do you mean 'neither'?" Draco asked, cutting her off swiftly, barely managing to keep his voice even as a sinking feeling hit him hard and squarely in the chest, making it hard to breathe. No. No, he couldn't be-

"-Draco. Draco, did you _hear_ me?"

The blond looked down to see Blaise shooting him an oddly curious look that made his unease only grow. "_What_?" he asked sharply.

His friend turned and motioned over to the Gryffindor table with a wave of his hand in a patronizing flourish. "He's right there."

Draco's gaze shifted over to find the Gryffindor wizard sitting at his usual seat beside Granger - laughing about something no less. "He looks fine." He sat down slowly, the panic he had been seized with lessening its hold on his chest. He let out a slow breath. That was... _unexpected_.

"I know. Isn't it odd?" Pansy asked, not seeming to notice his reaction, as she and the other Slytherins peered over at him.

"Quite," Blaise inserted, his gaze resting on his best friend instead.

Draco frowned as he scanned the wizard for any visible signs of injury. A scar, a scratch, or a grimace perhaps when he shifted in his seat. No, he looked perfectly well. His breathing eased. "It must be a lie," he said finally, the disconcerting feeling in his chest disappearing almost completely but not quite.

The wizard of topic looked over, and he found himself suddenly gazing into surprised vivid, green eyes, and the feeling of unease suddenly melted away, leaving him with a seed of warmth in his chest. He cleared his throat, his gaze shifting back down at his plate. Very unexpected.

* * *

"Harry, is something wrong?"

The dark-haired wizard shook his head as he eyed the Slytherin table warily, the wizards and witches eating and talking amongst each other. He could have sworn they were all just staring at him when he had first looked over, including Malfoy. Their stares had induced an unwanted feeling he had been subjected to almost daily when Voldemort had still been a threat. Harry's eyebrows furrowed. Except for Draco's. He had almost appeared concerned. Harry let out an incredulous laugh. Maybe he _had_ damaged his brain the night before.

"Are you feeling okay, Harry? That fall might have really-"

"_Hermione_," Harry hissed, looking away from the green and silver table and meeting his friend's sheepish gaze. "No one was supposed to know about that," he said in a harsh whisper, not addressing the red-headed witch, sitting across from him, who had spoken to him.

"It's all right, Harry. Your secret's safe with me," Ginny Weasely said as she leaned forward and placed a hand over top his. "I was wondering, would you want to study with me this evening in the common room?" she asked, her tone quietly hopeful.

Harry forced a smile and pulled his hand away gently. "Thanks, Ginny, but I'm studying with Hermione already."

"Oh, I see," the witch said softly, looking down at her lap, her hair falling down and obscuring her face in the process.

"You can come too, Ginny," Hermione offered quickly.

Harry's lips pressed together firmly as his friend shot him an apologetic grimace before turning away to give her the week's password. He reminded himself that Ginny had acknowledged they wouldn't be getting back together over the summer when Harry had finally gotten the nerve to tell his best friend's little sister he wasn't interested anymore.

Well, he actually had come to the conclusion he never had been interested to begin with—not really—but he hadn't had the nerve to tell her that. So he had instead stumbled over his apology, telling her he had decided he couldn't date his best mate's sister, that is just wasn't on, and that they should remain just friends - completely leaving out the bit where he had come to the realization in a pub the week before, after snogging a muggle guy a couple years older than him, that he enjoyed kissing blokes much more than any girl he had ever kissed, her included.

Harry lifted his pumpkin juice and took a sip, feeling much better. No. There was nothing to worry about. She had said she understood completely. He glanced up to meet wide, brown eyes gazing at him with an expression that had him looking away and stifling a cough. Nothing to worry about at all.

* * *

Draco strode down the last hallway towards his dorm. The arched windows letting in a cool breeze as the sun set behind the tree-line of the Forbidden Forest, the orange sky drawing attention to where his life had begun to fall apart. Life. He snorted at the word as his mother's unread note weighed heavily in his pocket. His lips twitched. He was going to read it, but not until he had certain privacy. It could contain sensitive material after all.

He pushed open the door to his common room to see three Gryffindors sitting on the red couch. Granger was sitting beside Potter, who was sitting beside... Weasley's little sister. The witch was sitting rather close to the wizard, who was looking up at him with a look of guarded anticipation. The Gryffindor thought he was going to say something insulting.

Draco smirked. He had indeed been about to do that exact thing, but perhaps not. "Hello, Harry," he said simply.

Dark eyebrows shot up under an equally dark fringe. "Hello... Draco," Harry replied with noted hesitance.

The blond ignored the looks of shock their greeting had garnered from the two witches, particularly the red-head, who had inched even closer to Harry since his arrival almost to the point where their legs were touching. He sat down on the black sofa, placing his bag on the cushion beside him and making himself appear comfortable as the muscles in his shoulders and neck rebelled, the one in his mouth following quickly.

"All we're missing now is a portrait of Godric Gryffindor to hang over the fireplace."

* * *

Harry and Draco sat alone in the common room, working on their DADA project. Hermione had ushered an unwilling Ginny up to her dorm only a few minutes after the Slytherin had shown up much to Harry's surprise. It was almost as if she was giving them privacy. Harry's lips quirked to the side as he began to read again from the book in his lap.

"What about this? We could make a spell that would incapacitate lake mermaids," Harry said, shivering at the memory of the vicious creatures he had encountered in fourth year.

Draco didn't bother looking up from his book as he sat across from him on the center cushion of the black leather couch. "No, there's already a spell for that," he said in a distracted voice as he continued searching the text. Perhaps a-

"-_There is_?"

Draco looked up slowly. "Yes, _of course _there is. Dumbledore created it when they had them shipped in for the Tri-Wizard tournament in fourth year." He noticed the look of shock on the wizard's face. "You didn't know that?"

Harry blinked slowly. "No, I didn't. How did you?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders as he looked back down at the text. He turned the page. "My godfather." He ignored the lump in his throat at the mention of the deceased Potions professor.

"Oh... I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't know," Harry said quietly.

Draco didn't respond. What would be a good spell? Maybe something to do with vampires. Or was that too morbid? He chewed on the inside if his cheek as he thought over it.

"Draco?"

The blond glanced up, shooting the wizard an arched look. "Yes - Harry?"

Harry swallowed hard. "Maybe-" He hesitated, unsure if what he was about to say would be taken poorly. He hadn't even gone over the idea that much. It had just kind of popped into his head and then tried to escape through his mouth. Maybe it was a bad idea.

Draco raised one platinum eyebrow.

Harry cleared his throat and scooted forward on the couch, running a hand through his messy hair. "Maybe we-" He pressed his lips together tightly between his teeth, losing his nerve again.

Draco blinked. "Is that all?" he asked in an unimpressed voice, his lips pulling tightly to the right in impatience.

"No, what I-" Harry stopped again. He took in a deep breath, held it for a moment and then let it out in a huff. "Maybe we could be friends," he said in a rush.

Draco held his chin in place when it tried to drop in a rather uncouth manner, his eyebrows lifting in his distracted state. Harry Potter wanted to be his friend? He thought the wizard hated him or at least disliked him a considerable amount.

"Friends?" he asked slowly, letting the word roll around on his tongue as if he were tasting its palatability. It was surprisingly not unpleasant. His gaze narrowed suddenly, and he leaned back in his seat and shot the wizard a suspicious look. "Is this your way of trying to keep an eye on me? Because I'm quite fine on my own. I don't _need_ a babysitter."

"No." Harry shook his head forcefully. "No, I just... we're partners for this and then for Potions. And, and well, there have been other things..." he dropped off as he thought of the times they had saved each other during the war, feeling uncomfortable bringing them up for some reason.

Draco nodded slightly, deciding not to pick on the wizard's non-eloquent ways at that moment. "It doesn't bother you what I am?"

"Well, it'll take some getting used to. But, no, not really."

The blond thought for a moment. He had wanted to be the wizard's friend in first year, but that had been mostly because he was famous. He wasn't sure how he felt about the offer just then, but with his new situation, friends would most likely prove to not only be highly beneficial but necessary, especially from someone held in such high regard in the wizarding community.

His gaze quickly ran over the wizard. Not to mention his undeniably pleasing scent and touch. Venom began to pool in his mouth, and he felt the distinct urge to take in a deep breath, which he had been avoiding in the wizard's presence. He swallowed quickly and pushed away the impulse, berating himself mentally.

"How about we try acquaintances who don't hate each other first?" he forced out in a deliberate manner as he pointedly ignored the overwhelming feeling that he was making a huge mistake.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, his hand finding his hair again. "_How_ is that different than what we are now?" he asked hesitantly.

Draco tilted his head to the side slightly, his sharp gaze catching the very end of a bandage peeking out from the wizard's sleeve as he messed with his hair. "Small talk for one. Such as - did you fall off your broom last night?" he asked the question somewhat abruptly.

"I'm sorry?" Harry straightened, his hand dropping and his posture noticeably stiffening at the query.

"Your broom, Potter. Did you fall off it?" he asked in an even tone, his gaze narrowing at the wizard's suddenly tense demeanor.

"No. No, I haven't done that in ages. Why?"

Draco frowned. He looked like he was lying. But why? He shook his head and softened his gaze. "No reason. Just some gossip."

"Right." The wizard nodded as his gaze flitted around the room quickly. "Ah, listen, I should, I should probably go. It's gotten late."

The blond nodded, finding himself holding back a smile at the wizard's words. "Yes, it's almost a quarter past nine," he said dryly.

"Yeah. Sorry," the dark-haired Gryffindor responded in a distracted tone as he stood up quickly, his book dropping to the floor in his eagerness to get out of the room.

Draco watched in amusement as the wizard leaned over to grab his dropped book, hitting his head soundly on the nearby table in the process. A breath of a laugh escaped his lips when Harry stood up, rubbing his forehead with a sheepish grin directed at him and said rather ineloquently, "Ow."

He shook his head and looked away from the somehow infectious expression, a small smile pushing persistently at the corners of his stubborn mouth. "You're a mess, Potter."

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**Please leave a review. It will bring the Draco/Harry kisses. It will. Just like magic. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Immortality Bites**

**Author's Note: Please review!**

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**~Chapter Five~**

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Draco listened to the sound of the door shutting behind him, signaling the departure of his project partner. He set down his text and breathed in deeply for the first time in hours. His eyes fell shut as the wizard's scent made his mouth begin to pool with venom. He groaned and leaned his head back against the sofa, his hands coming up to rub at his eyes. He couldn't be friends with him, not when all he wanted to do was either touch or bite him, because he was almost positive the wizard wouldn't appreciate either. A dry laugh escaped his lips. He should have just turned him down immediately.

He had re-read the books again and his findings were disconcerting to say the least. He had been right about the reason why Harry's touch had had an affect on his vampirism. He had leeched some of the wizard's life magic from him unknowingly. A wizard's life magic was intrinsically bound to their life, hence the name, and was why they were more resilient and lived much longer lives than muggles. However, unlike muggles, they required it to _stay_ alive.

The only problem with the explanation - and why he had thought there might be another reason - had been that Harry Potter's health was not waning. If Draco had indeed leeched the magic from him then Harry should have been very sick afterward - or dead. Perhaps the vampire who had bitten him had been an unknown one, and he could somehow take or use the energy in a way without causing any harm. He would need to do more research.

Draco shifted in his seat. And there was still the problem that he wanted to bite him. It hadn't been a huge surprise to the blond that he did, not in retrospect at least. Despite giving Harry a hard time throughout their schooling he had always found the Gryffindor begrudgingly attractive with his annoyingly-wild black hair, his incredible seeker abilities and raw magical power.

No, Draco had not been surprised at all when he had wanted to bite him. But, he _had_ been surprised when he had wanted to bite him more than _anyone_ else in the whole blasted castle and couldn't seem to control himself around him - and the reason for that was not something he wanted to entertain for even a moment. He had things to do. He opened his eyes and pushed himself off the couch. He adjusted his tie. He would make a quick trip to the library. Maybe check the restricted section for more information.

* * *

Harry walked out of the prefect common room, stopping in the hallway just outside to gather his wits. How had Draco heard about his incident? His mind flitted back to the night before without warning, and he remembered being on his broom. He had lost his grip in the heavy rain and distinctly remembered watching it dip the first few yards along with him on his descent - a safety measure that had been enchanted into all the new brooms.

He hadn't reached for it.

He felt his chest clench tightly. Why hadn't he reached for it? Madam Pomfrey had asked him that question, and he had lied, saying that he had but that his hands hand been slick from the rain. The truth was though, he didn't know. He swallowed hard as the tension in his chest continued to grow, a knot forming in his throat and making it hard to breathe as his vision began to grow unfocused.

An unexpected clicking sound from behind jerked him from his musings, and he spun around to see Draco standing with his hand on the door.

"_Malfoy_," he blurted, the surname falling from his lips in an accusing fashion before he could stop it as he tried to calm down. "What are you doing out here?"

The vampire shot him a quick look of concern before the expression vanished to be replaced by one of indifference. "I worry about your long-term memory retention, Potter. These are _my_ rooms and sometimes I must leave them." He walked out into the hallway fully, letting the door shut behind him. "This is the only exit," the blond added when his words didn't seem to have an impact on the suspicious wizard.

"Oh. Right," Harry said, a hand shooting up and messing his hair as he tried to keep the stress he was feeling off his features. They stood in silence for a long moment. "Do you need something?" he asked when the wizard didn't stalk off as predicted and was instead studying him rather openly with an inscrutable look.

"No." Draco shot a quick glance left and then right before taking a step closer to Harry and asking in a surprisingly hesitant voice, "Is there something wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry?" he asked shortly, confusion pushing his eyebrows together and distracting him from the tension in his chest.

The blond took another step closer, something in the wizard's demeanor making him want to stay. "I mean, you're just acting a bit... different."

"No I'm not," Harry retorted too quickly to sound convincing.

Draco blinked and then nodded slightly. "Yes you are."

Harry's jaw clenched. "How would you know? We barely ever talk," he said, taking a step back, feeling the anxiety begin to rise in his chest again.

Draco nodded. "True. But I've been in school with you since we were eleven, and I'm very observant - and you do seem off." He unconsciously moved forward to close the space between them again. "So, what is it?"

Harry looked up into grey eyes. "Nothing. There's _nothing_ wrong or - or off or different," he said in irritation, the blond's closeness unnerving him and making his words even more untrue. Why was he standing so close? "_You're_ the one acting off."

Draco arched one eyebrow. "Yes, well I _am_ a vampire now," he said simply, the word sounding from his mouth surprising both him and the dark-haired wizard. He hadn't said that out loud before, at least not without a bucket of loathing to accompany it. He sniffed, jerking his mind sharply back to the conversation he preferred. "So what's your excuse?" he asked more curtly, irritation growing in him at whatever was making him so concerned for the Gryffindor wizard's well-being.

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine," he said firmly.

Draco nodded, his jaw tensing at the obvious lie as he caught sight again of the bandage peaking out of the wizard's sleeve. He reached out and grabbed the wizard's arm and pushed up his sleeve in a split-second. He looked down to see a bandage covering his entire forearm. "Harry. How did this-" he stopped, his sharp gaze having narrowed on a single pinpoint of red in the center of the bandage. He swallowed hard. He was bleeding. He instinctively took in a deep breath, and the ambrosia-like scent filled his senses and lungs, dancing on his taste buds.

"Draco, are you all right?" Harry asked hesitantly as the blond held his arm in a vice-like grip, staring down at his arm - which he had torn open quite thoroughly on a bleacher's edge in his fall.

Draco barely made out a voice as his brain worked quickly to shut down his higher-mental faculties, a cold feeling rushing into his veins and filling his mind as his gaze remained locked on the deep red stain. He smiled. "You're bleeding," he said softly.

Harry blinked. _Oh shit_. He tried to pull his arm away, but fingers tightened immediately around his bicep. "Yeah. I. I am. It's nothing. Just got too close to the Whomping Willow," he lied.

Draco shook his head. "You should be more careful, Harry," he said in a smooth voice, his gaze slowly running up the wizard's arm and settling on his neck, a pulse visible just below his chin. He let out a slow breath, his lips parting slightly.

Harry licked his lips nervously as the tips of sharp canines revealed themselves. "Draco. What are you doing?" he asked, his voice filling with alarm when the blond began to lean closer to him.

The vampire's smile grew, his gleaming white teeth inching towards the soft skin. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you, Harry," he said softly.

Harry held himself perfectly still, his muscles coiling in apprehension as his wand sat in his inside robe pocket unhelpfully. Maybe he could talk to him. "No and, ah, why's that?"

The vampire laughed softly as he neared the pulsing artery, the sound of blood whooshing thickly through it reaching his keen ears. Or perhaps he was only imagining it. "Why indeed. Maybe I'm lying."

Harry's breathing sped up, cold puffs of air began to brush the skin on his neck, the feeling somehow heating the area instead of cooling it. "Draco," he whispered as red lips, concealing fang-like canines hovered just over his neck.

"Yes, Harry?" the vampire murmered back and then pressed his lips gently on the skin directly over his pulse.

"You're. Ah. Wha-what are you doing?" he asked in an uneven voice, his pulse thumping in his ears as it began to race wildly under the gentle touch, eliciting a moan from the blond. "Oh shit," he gasped, feeling lips slowly parting. He was going to be bitten. Draco Malfoy was going to bite him. He should have known. He—all thoughts froze when something began to slide slowly along his neck, something soft but firm that made a gasp escape his lips unbidden as the feeling shot down into his groin. The blond was licking him.

Draco felt a growl rumble in his chest softly as his tongue ran along hot skin, his body responding to the contact and heat flooding his core, the wizard's taste coating his tongue. He stopped just below his ear. "Harry," he whispered.

"Y-yeah?" Uneven breaths filled the air.

"You taste really good." The hushed words elicited a gasp that caused the vampire's mouth to coat with venom. He reached up and cupped the wizard's neck with his right hand, running his thumb against the tempting skin with a feather-light touch. It would be so easy. He could be gentle. Maybe Harry would even like it.

Harry found his gaze dropping to red lips, red lips that had just been pressed against his neck. His breath grew more unsteady as he struggled to think of a response. "Thanks?" he finally forced out in a rough voice as he tried to figure out why he wasn't even attempting to stop him as his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

Draco smiled, and then he began to lean down again, his thumb gently pushing the wizard's chin up to expose the other side of his neck more properly. He breathed in deeply as he prepared to bite, and his mind was bombarded with conflicting information. Want warred with apprehension. Something wasn't right. He just didn't know what.

He clenched his teeth together tightly, fighting to think through the haze of the wizard's intoxicating scent. He didn't think he could pull away, but he didn't want to bite him either. He felt himself leaning forward and then his mouth pressed right below the wizard's chin. "I can't stop," he whispered in a pained voice.

Harry's eyes widened. "_What_?"

Draco's mouth moved up towards the wizard's lips, and he hovered just in front of his mouth, his left hand running up and grasping the other side of Harry's neck. "I want to bite you so much. _Help_ me."

The Gryffindor's breath caught in his chest as Draco's cool breath brushed his lips. "What can I do?"

Draco thought for only a second and then forced out the words, "Touch me."

Harry nodded. "Right." He reached his hands up and set them hesitantly on Draco's chest. "How's this?"

Draco felt the urge lessen somewhat. "Yeah, that helps," he said, his words still strained as he continued to hold back.

Harry felt the vampire's heart pounding under his right hand. He shifted his hand away from the unnerving feeling, and he heard a small sigh escape Draco's lips. "That helped?"

The vampire nodded only slightly, his eyes still clenched shut as he remained perfectly still otherwise, afraid of what he might do if he moved.

Harry considered his options. Draco hadn't tried to bite him when they had been on the couch, but they had been leaning against each other without their shirts. Harry's gaze flicked back up to red lips, and a thought began to form in his mind. Maybe a more intimate touch was needed to rid him of the urge. _No_, his mind protested immediately. He shoved the rational thought away forcefully—he didn't want to be bitten—inhaled sharply and then leaned up and pressed tense lips against Draco's mouth.

He felt hands push him, and he thought the blond was protesting as he began to step back, but Draco matched his steps, their lips remaining pressed against each other's until his back hit the wall and a portrait, if the noises were any indicator. Draco's body pressed firmly up against his, clearing his mind of anything other than their closeness and lips that moved eagerly against his, parting, his own mouth opening in response.

Draco's tongue pushed into Harry's mouth, and feelings he had never known before began to course through his entire body. He felt warm—alive—more alive than even before he had been bitten. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, and his fingers felt like they were on fire as they grasped hold of the wizard's neck as if they were afraid to lose him. _Harry. Harry. Harry._

Grey eyes popped open. _Harry–_No_._ He jerked back, his hands dropping to his sides. He looked down in shock at the dark-haired wizard whose eyes were still shut.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, his chest heaving and lips parted, to find Draco... _gone_. He was standing in the hallway alone, the blond wizard nowhere in sight. He pushed himself off the wall when the sound of sheep in distress finally reached his sluggish brain. He turned to see a herd of them running around the painting in distress, bumping into each other.

An incredulous laugh escaped his lips, and a hand shot up to cover the patch of skin the Slytherin had _licked._ He rubbed the area trying to rid himself of the memory of the feeling as he began to walk in the direction of Gryffindor tower, completely unsure of what to make of the event.

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" Blaise asked with a grin as he pulled off his shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair and then climbed atop Draco's bed in only his slacks.

"I told you - to see if your body's proximity will have any effect on my vampirism, Blaise," Draco snapped as he too pulled off his shirt. It was only Friday night, and his eyes had already gone black, and he was on edge. _It's probably from being around Potter so much. _

Ever since he had snogged the Gryffindor it felt like they were constantly running into each other despite Harry having missed their last two potions classes, and Draco having Head Boy 'responsibilities' during their planned DADA meeting time all week. However, they did still have half their classes together, and he was sharing a common room with the wizard's best friend. Maybe he just hadn't been actively avoiding him enough. Or maybe Harry was-

"You know, Draco," the dark-skinned wizard said with an even bigger grin, pulling him from his musings. "If you want to shag, you can just ask."

Draco rolled his eyes and climbed into the bed beside his friend. "Yes, I'm well aware that you're a slag, Zabini," he said as he scooted closer to the wizard carefully. Maybe his idea hadn't been such a great one. Harry was after all an exceptional wizard. Perhaps he could just handle more. He didn't want to hurt his friend.

Blaise let out a laugh and then scooted toward the preoccupied blond, closing the space between them. "You're such a prude," he whispered teasingly.

"No, I just prefer to like someone before I sleep with them," Draco countered, waiting for something. Anything.

Nothing happened.

"You're _really_ cold."

"I know." Draco closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the wizard's body resting against him. He could feel the heat from him, but it was like it was just pressed against him but couldn't make it past his skin for some reason. He let out a growl. "It's not working. Forget it."

"No, wait. Give it a minute," Blaise insisted, wrapping his arm around and pulling him tighter. He nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck. "Do all vampires smell so good?"

Draco huffed a laugh and then let out a slow breath, trying to relax like he had the week before when it had been Harry pressed against him.

* * *

"Harry! What are you doing here? I thought you were going flying," Hermione said with a warm smile as she sat on the couch in her common room. She had her feet tucked under her and a book in her lap, a cup of tea in her hands.

"Yeah, I am." Harry smiled tightly as he approached, holding a text on enchantment creations, a page marked on troll protective qualities. "I just have this book I wanted to give Malfoy," he said quickly, trying not to grimace when he said the wizard's name. He figured he could give him the book, Draco could respond with another if he wanted, and then they could figure out a way to split up the work needed to create the spell - somehow - he was sure. There was no need to work on it together, not really.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, right. You're a group, I almost forgot. You two haven't been working together lately, have you?" she said curiously and when Harry didn't respond with more than a shrug she motioned to the blond's dorm. "He's in his room right now."

Harry glanced over at the shut door. "Oh. Well, I don't want to bother him..."

Hermione shrugged. "Zabini is in there, I'm sure he won't mind."

Harry nodded slowly. He ran a hand through his hair. "Right. Well, I'll just... go over and knock then."

Hermione quirked a small smile. "All right."

Harry stood in place as he eyed the door, suddenly feeling rather awkward.

"Harry?"

The dark-haired wizard started. He looked over to his friend, who was smiling sweetly at him.

"Are you going to go over?"

Harry nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah." He walked over and knocked on the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Immortality Bites**

**Author's Note: New Chapter!**

* * *

**~Chapter Six~**

* * *

Draco leaned back, looking over his shoulder at the sound of a knock on the door. He resisted the urge to inhale deeply to check the identity of the person on the other side. It was just odd. He moved to get up.

"Oh, that's just Pansy," Blaise said, holding him in place. "I told her what we were planning, and she asked if she could help." He grabbed his wand off the nightstand behind him and swung the door open with a flick of the wrist.

Harry stood frozen, his hand still lifted as if he were going to knock again. He stared blankly at the two wizards in the bed. "Oh. Uh. I." He blinked, his hand dropping as his mind scrambled to make a coherent thought. He lifted the book. "I brought this-"

Draco pushed himself away from his friend and climbed out of the bed quickly, standing in only his slacks. "_Harry_. I. I mean. Potter." He pressed his lips firmly together. _Get yourself together Draco_. He heard Blaise sniggering behind him.

"Hello Potter, care to join us?" Blaise asked in a silky smooth tone.

Harry blinked. "I-I'm sorry?"

Draco spun around and shot his friend the darkest look he could muster, Blaise dropping back and muttering an apology. He swung back to look at Harry. "What do you want, Potter? Spit it out, I'm busy." He clenched his jaw, refusing to take back his words when green eyes widened and muffled laughter sounded from behind him, the blond realizing too late what he had said.

Harry swallowed, his gaze shifting around the room in lieu of the wizard's bare torso. "Oh. I just brought this book for you.. for our project," he said, holding the text in his hand out but not approaching, wanting nothing more than to toss the book and leave as he cursed his friend mentally for telling him to knock. Why had they opened the door in the first place? He didn't know Draco was seeing anyone. Thoughts of their encounters over the past couple weeks flitted through his mind. Why hadn't he told him?

Draco rolled his eyes and walked forward, taking the book from him. "Is that all?" he asked shortly.

Harry nodded and then found himself speaking, "So, you and-"

"-_No_. Blaise and I are not a couple," Draco snapped, not exactly sure why he felt the need to explain his and Blaise's relationship. So what if the Gryffindor thought they were together? It didn't matter.

"Oh," The dark-haired wizard said, his eyebrows shooting up.

Draco held back a growl. "And we're not _shagging_ either." He waited for the wizard behind him to make some kind of snarky retort but none came.

Harry nodded slowly. "All right. I mean... If you were - that's fine," he said somewhat hesitantly.

Draco scoffed, "I know it is. But we're _not_."

Harry shot him a look of disbelief. "Of course. Well, let me know what you think," he said quickly, gesturing to the book in the blond's hand.

Draco took a step closer, his hand tightening its grip on the text and his eyes narrowing in an accusatory fashion. "You don't believe me."

Harry looked over the blond's shoulder and then back at him. "Well," he hedged. "You _were_ just hugging in your bed."

Blaise snorted.

"He was trying to help me with something," Draco explained coolly.

Blaise let out a sharp laugh, Harry's eyebrows shooting up even higher.

Draco clenched his jaw. "Not like _that_. I mean. I was cold, and he was trying to warm me up." He waited for the wizard to acquiesce only to find a small smile forming at the corners of his mouth instead as Blaise laughed even harder into a pillow.

Draco lifted an icy hand and placed it on the wizard's neck. "_See_?" he snapped, but suddenly all he could focus on was the sudden warmth blooming in his chest and spreading out in tendrils.

He sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back, his hand falling from the wizard's skin and clenching into a tight fist by his side. He had definitely just taken something from Harry, and it had been a considerable amount if the warmth coursing through his veins and entire body could be trusted.

Harry blinked. He had felt a jolt of something when the blond's hand had made contact with his neck. The dull, persistent stagnancy he had grown numb to over the years had disappeared for a moment. He looked to the blond to see if he had noticed and found himself staring into grey eyes once more.

"You should go," Draco said in a tight voice. He took a measured step back, his knuckles turning white as his hand clamped down on the book harder as he fought the urge to touch the wizard again. No, he didn't want to touch him. He wanted his life. He wanted to drain his life from him.

Harry studied the tense wizard for a moment. If he had felt something it didn't appear to be pleasant by his response. He nodded silently before turning to leave the room.

* * *

Draco sat early the next day looking down at his plate, trying to decide what on it would taste the least disgusting. His gaze ran over the eggs, bacon and toast with complete distaste.

"Pansy, who are you going to Hogsmeade with tomorrow?" Blaise asked from his left side.

Draco picked up a piece of toast. It didn't look that bad. He took a small bite and resisted the urge to spit the food back out. He had been wrong. He chewed with regret.

"I still haven't decided. What about you?" Pansy replied from the blond's right side.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked - because I was thinking of asking Potter actually."

Draco swallowed hard, forcing the food down his unwilling throat. His gaze lifted slowly as he turned to his friend. "What did you say?"

Blaise smirked. "I said Potter. He's quite fit, don't you think, Draco?"

Grey eyes hardened. "What's your angle?"

His friend laughed, raising his hands in a mockingly appeasing gesture. "No angle. Does that upset you?" he asked in an overly innocent voice.

"No. Of course it doesn't, don't be _ridiculous_," Draco replied curtly. He glanced over at the Gryffindor wizard. "What makes you think he'd even be interested?"

"I'm going to assume you're referring to his gender preferences," Blaise retorted smoothly.

Draco tilted his chin up in a slight nod, his gaze still trained on the wild-haired wizard, who was sitting by himself at the Gryffindor table.

"Well you see," the wizard said, his voice growing softer as he leaned in closer. "It seems the Chosen One spent some time in the pubs at Diagon Alley this past summer..."

Draco lifted an eyebrow. "And?" he asked, attempting to sound indifferent as his body began to hum with an unidentifiable emotion.

"Oh, I heard about _that_," Pansy said in a hushed tone.

Draco looked between his two friends who appeared to be having a silent conversation. "_Well_?" he asked sharply.

Blaise smiled slowly. "He was spotted snogging Viktor Krum."

Draco cleared his throat, the news for some reason not settling well with him. "So now you want a go at him because of your fascination with Krum?"

"No, I would have asked Potter long ago had I known of his proclivities."

Pansy nodded. "He is rather good-looking, especially if he'd learn to fix his hair."

Draco blinked slowly as the uncomfortable feeling in his body began to concentrate in his chest. He breathed out slowly.

"No, I like it like that. It's sexy, looks like he's just been ravaged."

The feeling in his chest began to grow, his eyes narrowing.

Pansy hummed. "I suppose. He does have a nice arse too."

Blaise laughed. "Yeah he does, I'd like to-"

"-_Shut. Up_," Draco said, shoving himself up from his seat. He glared down at his two _friends_.

"Something _wrong_, Draco?" Blaise asked in a slow voice as Pansy shot the blond a look of surprise. "You weren't planning on asking Potter yourself were you?"

Draco sneered, "Yes, you figured me out, Blaise. I was going to ask Potter to Hogsmeade."

Blaise suppressed a smile. "My apologies. Go on then," he said in a benevolent tone, gesturing towards the Gryffindor. "Have at it."

The blond held back a list of expletives as he glared harshly at the far too amused wizard. He thought it was all a joke. "Why don't you ask him for me?" he replied dryly and then turned and stalked off.

* * *

"Harry, good to meet you, Blaise Zabini."

Harry looked up from his plate to see Draco's friend grinning at him as if they were good mates. "Hello, Zabini."

"Please. Call me Blaise, Harry," the wizard said with a wink.

Harry nodded slightly. "All right - _Blaise_. Can I help you with something?" he asked slowly.

Blaise's grin grew. "Yes, in fact you _can_. Could I sit?" he asked, motioning to the seat across from him.

Harry nodded and took a bite of bacon.

Blaise sat down and glanced around the Gryffindor table casually before training his gaze back on the wizard sitting across from him. "So, Harry." He smiled widely. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with Draco tomorrow."

Harry sucked in a surprised breath and began to choke on the bacon he had still been chewing. He picked up his glass, taking a sip of pumpkin juice and then setting it back down. He cleared his throat. "_I'm sorry_?"

"Hogsmeade with Draco. He needs a date." Blaise leaned forward over the table. "What do you say?"

* * *

"Harry. Harry, are you listening to me?"

"Hm?" Harry asked as he pushed himself more upright.

"I asked if you got any sleep last night. You look dreadful."

Harry blinked a few times to clear his cloudy vision and looked over at the witch. She was sitting beside him in the Gryffindor common room. "Oh, yeah. Some," he mumbled.

"Why did you want to meet here?" Hermione asked as she pulled out her potions book to get a few minutes of studying in before they left for Hogsmeade.

Harry yawned. "Oh. Uh, just thought it'd be nice for some privacy is all."

The witch looked around the busy common room and back to her friend, shooting him an arched look. "_Right_. Harry, listen, I know Ron isn't here for you this year and that's been hard for you..."

Harry stiffened at the sound of concern in his friend's voice. "I have Finnegan," he said defensively.

The witch blinked. "Harry, what I'm trying to say is that I'm here for you. And that if you'd like to talk about-" she paused, looking around them before saying in a more quiet tone, "About guys you can. If you're having problems.."

"I'm not having problems. Why would you think I'm having problems?" Harry asked sharply, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

Hermione sighed and scooted closer to her friend. "I know you feel bad about Ginny."

Harry's jaw clenched.

"But Ron understands," she said quickly. "He wouldn't be upset if you decided to - to see someone. He doesn't expect you to be single just because things didn't work out between you two."

Harry nodded tersely. "I know that."

The witch glanced around again. "Then is there someone you fancy... or someone you're starting to have feelings towards?"

Harry stared at her. "No."

The witch shot him a look of disbelief. "Really? Are you _sure_?"

Harry shook his head firmly. "No, there's not. I'm sorry if you thought we were going to start chatting about all the blokes in Gryffindor after this Summer, but there's no one."

Hermione set her book down on the table in front of them. "What about in Slytherin then?"

Harry froze. "_Slytherin_?" he asked with an incredulous laugh, an uneasy feeling pressing at his chest. "No, I'm not into Zabini."

The witch nodding in understanding. "What about Draco?" she asked quickly.

Harry's eyes widened. There was no way she knew. She couldn't, because there was nothing to actually know. Zabini had clearly been playing a joke on Draco, because the blond would have never sent his friend over to ask him on a date. _A date_, Harry scoffed. He had laughed the wizard off, telling him that if Draco met him at the front doors in the morning then he would take him up on his offer. Not likely.

They had had a few _incidents _sure, but it didn't mean he fancied him or liked him, and Harry definitely didn't feel anything towards him. The memory of the wizard's tongue sliding along his neck forced its way to the forefront of his mind. He shivered and then pushed the memory away.

"_Malfoy_?" he asked in the most disturbed voice he could muster.

"What about Malfoy?" Ginny asked curiously, having walked up unnoticed. She smiled and sat down beside Harry. "Hi Harry."

The wizard glared darkly at Hermione before turning to the red-head. "Hullo Ginny," he said hesitantly as the witch scooted closer.

"Harry, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me today?" the witch asked with a sweet smile.

He opened his mouth to reply when Hermione spoke up for him. "Sorry, Ginny, Harry can't. He has a date."

Harry turned slowly towards his friend, who was shooting him a look of reproof.


	7. Chapter 7

**Immortality Bites**

**Author's Note: Posting again! I'm considering Thursday posts here on out, or I might just post whenever I get a chapter written up. We will see. And almost 100 followers! Wow, thank you all so much! **

**And here is the chapter you requested, LoupEtoile. *sighs* I spoil you really. **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**~Chapter Seven~**

* * *

Draco gazed up at grey stones, his hands clasped over his chest as he lay in his bed, the sheets still made up and the sun just beginning to brighten the Head Boy's room. Not that he needed the light or the blankets. The former was unnecessary and the latter was maddeningly useless. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. _Stop that,_ he chastised himself. He had been admittedly bitter ever since the incident, but the wizard couldn't seem to pull himself out of it. He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, laying there only for a moment before pushing himself up and off the bed with resolve.

He began to make his way towards his bathroom, but stopped a few steps short of it, his gaze drifting over to the still unopened letter set on his desk top. He found himself walking over to the desk and sitting down in the chair. He scooted forward, slowly reaching out and picking up the unread note. He flipped it over to look at his name, his fingers tracing his mother's writing as an apprehension filled his body.

_It'll be fine. It wasn't my fault. She won't care. She didn't care when she found out I wasn't going to supply them with an heir_. He snorted. Although he wasn't sure if being gay could be compared to having been turned into a blood-thriving beast. He flipped the letter back over and picked up his letter opener with determination; he had avoided it long enough. He slid it under the fold, pulling the wax seal away from the underlying parchment and slowly opened the letter. He took in a slow breath and began to read.

_Dearest Draco,_

_I have received news from Headmistress McGonagall regarding your accident. I am beyond relieved to hear that you are okay. Please let me know if you'd like to come home or if you need anything before your trip home for the holidays._

_With Love,  
Mother_

Draco stared at the parchment. She hadn't even addressed the subject that he was no longer classified as a wizard, that he was a vampire. It was as if she didn't feel any differently towards him. He set the note down on the desk, a relieved laugh falling from his lips as the anxiety that had been weighing him down ever since he had been bitten lessened dramatically. At least he didn't have to worry about losing his mother on top of all his problems. Home. She had offered to let him come home. He stood up and walked into the bathroom, his concerns suddenly seeming a little less daunting.

* * *

"Draco, come on. We've got to hurry," Blaise said as soon as he pushed the door open to the Head Boy's dorm.

Draco continued to adjust his tie, his gaze narrowing on his friend. Why was he in such a rush? He thought back to the day before. There was no way Harry had said yes. Blaise was not his type. Not that he'd know Harry's-

"Draco, are you coming? Harry's waiting for you," the wizard said in a huff.

The blond looked up slowly. "Harry's waiting... for _me_?" he asked in a careful tone.

Blaise nodded, shooting him a look of impatience. "Yes, I asked him like you said, and he said to meet him at the front doors."

Draco's mouth dropped open. _No_. "You didn't."

Blaise smirked. "I did. Are you coming? Because if you're not, I'm going to take your place. I can only be so generous."

"He said _yes_?" Draco asked, careful to keep his tone neutral, not moving from his spot. There had to be some mistake. Even if Harry did fancy blokes there was no way he had any interest in him - a former Death Eater and a vampire. He had just tried to bite him the week before. Did the wizard want to die? He clenched his jaw. "I'm not going."

Blaise looked behind him into the common room before stepping in and letting the door shut behind him. "And why not?" he asked, his tone disapproving, making the blond want to talk even less.

Draco turned away and walked over to his desk. He sniffed nonchalantly as he began to fold his response to his mother's note. "I'm far too busy today, and besides I don't have _any_ interest in Potter." He picked up a bar of dark green wax and held it over the note as he lifted his wand, muttering a heating charm before lifting it closer to the wax.

"So you won't mind if I have a go at him then?"

Draco's lips pressed tightly together as he watched the wax drop onto the parchment, forming a small puddle. He lifted a stamp with his family's seal on it and pressed it firmly into the still hot wax. "No, not at all. I couldn't care less," he drawled in a cool voice even as his muscles began to tense. Have a go at him? What did _that_ mean? Did he only want to shag him? He looked up at his friend to see a salacious grin playing at the wizard's lips that only confirmed his suspicions. He scowled.

Blaise nodded in a seemingly impressed manner. "You almost pulled that off."

Draco narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "I don't know what you mean by that," he said before lifting the stamp and then walking over to where his owl was perched on a stand by his window. He quickly laced the piece of rope attached to the note around the owl's leg and then watched as the bird flew out the window, his back facing his friend.

"He likes you too, you know. I can tell."

Draco let out a dry laugh and turned around. "I don't _like_ Potter," he said firmly. He didn't. He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

Blaise studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly. "All right. Then you won't mind?"

Draco hesitated only for a second before responding, "Not at all."

* * *

"Harry, _there_ you are!"

Harry looked over to see Blaise Zabini jogging towards him as he walked out of Honeyduke's with a chocolate bar in hand. "Oh, uh, hello Blaise," he said hesitantly, noting Draco walking behind him and looking decidedly unhappy, his expression stony.

"You weren't at the door," Blaise said somewhat breathless as he pulled up in front of the wizard.

Harry looked down quickly to study the chocolate in his hand. "Oh. Uh, yeah, well that was just a joke, right?" he asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling worse as he thought of the rather sullen blond. No. There was _no_ way. He looked like that half the time anyway. He glanced back up.

"Yeah, but I thought maybe you and I could walk around together. Maybe get a drink," he said in a smooth voice, shooting the wizard a winning smile.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the Slytherin, who was eyeing him with a look that was hard to misinterpret. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to turn him down when Draco let out a harsh laugh as he joined them.

"You see Blaise, I was _right_," Draco sneered.

Harry watched the dark-skinned wizard's expression drop somewhat and felt a surge of anger. "Actually, I would _really_ like that, Blaise," he said a little too sharply, glaring at the blond.

The wizard glanced over with a surprised look that quickly shifted to a smug grin. "Excellent," he said and slung an arm around Harry's shoulder. "Where would you like to go, Harry?" he asked in a low voice.

Harry swallowed hard, suddenly regretting his snap decision. "Ah, The Three Broomsticks?" he asked.

Blaise nodded. "Sounds good," he said and began to guide the wizard down the sidewalk. "Coming Draco?" he asked over his shoulder with a grin in his voice.

* * *

Grey eyes narrowed as Draco watched his ex-best mate set his hand on Harry's thigh and give it a gentle squeeze. The three wizards were sitting at a table in the back corner of the busy pub.

"You're really funny, Harry," he said with a smile plastered on his face.

Harry laughed, shaking his head as he took a drink of the firewhiskey that Blaise had bought. The wizard was actually a lot of fun. Well, at least after two glasses of liquor he was. "That's because you're pissed. I'm not that funny, trust me."

"Modest too." Blaise's smile widened, and he scooted closer to the wizard. "Tell me, is Krum a good snog?"

Harry choked on his drink. He set his glass down as he coughed, his lungs trying to clear the firewhiskey from it. He shot a quick look around the pub. "How do you know about that?"

Blaise let out an excited laugh. "It's true then? Tell us." He shot Draco an arched look. "We won't tell anyone, will we, Draco?"

Draco set down the glass of firewhiskey he had been nursing despite knowing it would have no affect, having needed something to keep his hands busy. He resisted telling his friend what he really thought, his gaze cold as it shifted from Blaise to Harry. "No Harry, we won't say a _word_. Do tell," he said dryly.

Harry found himself staring into grey eyes. He cleared his throat. "You want to know if Krum is a good snog?" he asked the blond in undisguised disbelief.

Draco clenched his jaw. The question alone making him angry for some reason. He nodded slowly.

Harry looked down at his glass. "Yeah, I suppose he is."

Blaise let out a laugh. "I _knew_ it. That's bloody fantastic," he said happily, scooting even closer to Harry. He glanced over at Draco, who was glaring down into his glass. "Draco, I'm going to go order us some food. Keep Harry company for me, will you?"

The blond didn't look up. "Yeah sure." He saw Blaise walk off out of the corner of his vision.

"He's a nice guy," Harry said awkwardly.

Draco looked up, his expression dark as he scoffed mentally at the wizard's words. Blaise might be a 'nice guy', but he was not looking for a relationship with a bloke, even if it was Harry Potter. He had every intention of wedding a witch after school. "I didn't think he was your type. Don't Gryffindors have a rule against dating Slytherins?" he asked coolly.

Harry balked at the wizard's tone, a stubborn look settling on his features. "Maybe he is. What do you know?"

Draco glared darkly. "I know you were going to turn him down. Why the change of heart, _Potter_, still feel the need to be the bloody hero and save everyone?" he asked sharply, sounding a little too much like he had before the war had ended but not caring.

Harry's eyes slowly narrowed to match his. "You don't have to be such a git, _Malfoy_."

Draco pushed himself up from the table. "That's where you're wrong. I do, because you're such a bloody _fool_ I can't help myself."

Harry stood up, his green eyes flashing dangerously. "You know what, I'm finished here. Tell Blaise I had to go." He pushed his way out of the busy pub, shoving the door open with a wave of his hand and striding purposefully out into the dark streets. He heard the door swing open again behind him as he made his way up the cobblestone road.

"Oi, Potter! _Potter_!" Draco shouted angrily as he forced himself into a jog. He grabbed the wizard's arm and spun him around.

"What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" Harry shouted, shoving the wizard in the chest and forcing him back a few steps.

"You can't just leave my friend like that."

Harry started laughing. "Right. Because you were _thrilled_ with us together."

Draco took a deliberate step forward, glaring down at the wizard. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Harry matched the movement, closing the gap between them and looking up at the slightly taller wizard. "I think you know _exactly_ what I mean."

Draco felt his body begin to respond to the wizard standing in front of him as venom began to coat his teeth. _No, not now_. "I should go." He made to leave.

Harry grabbed his arm before he could turn away. "I wasn't finished," he growled.

Draco tried to hold back but the next thing he knew he was shoving the wizard up against the outside of Honeyduke's. "Harry, I'm not in the mood right now."

Harry let out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, and why's that, Draco?"

The vampire moved closer until their chests were almost touching. "Because, I'm _hungry_. I haven't eaten in almost a week."

Harry blinked, realizing his mistake through the alcohol muddying his thoughts. Draco was a vampire - because of him. He reigned in his anger. "Oh... Right, sorry," he said in a more subdued voice.

Draco looked down at him, gritting his teeth at the infuriating apology. "I was trying to be helpful believe it or not. Blaise isn't really boyfriend material," he said sharply, not sure why he was telling him such a thing. If Harry wasn't smart enough to figure that out it wasn't his problem.

Harry sighed, feeling relieved and guilty for it. "Yeah, I figured that." He looked over at The Three Broomsticks. "Do you think he's looking for us?"

Draco let out a clipped laugh. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat better and looked down at the wizard's hands that were still on him. He looked up into black eyes. When had that happened? He was sure they had been grey inside the pub. He thought back to the other day before lifting a hand and placing it on the vampire's neck. He watched in surprise as black eyes slowly lightened, softening to their light grey color before shutting and the skin he was touching warmed under his hand, his own body feeling like a live current.

Draco swallowed hard and took a step back, Harry's hand dropping from his neck. "Don't. Do that," he said firmly in a tight voice, despite wanting the wizard to do anything but listen to him.

Harry studied the wizard closely, he looked upset just like before. "Did - did you feel that?" he asked hesitantly.

Draco eyed him coolly before saying in an unaffected drawl, "Your hand on my neck? Yes, it was hard to miss."

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, that's not what I meant," he paused and then continued in a quieter tone, "When I touched you... I felt something - like electric."

Draco shook his head and let out a patronizing laugh. "That's an awful pick up line, even for you, Potter."

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm serious, just now and the other day, didn't you feel it?" he asked, frustration forcing out his words quickly. He was sure he had noticed something too. Maybe he was going crazy.

Draco eyed the wizard warily as he considered whether he should tell him. He was sure if Harry told Granger she would know or be able to figure it out, but he didn't particularly want the witch to know the private details of his condition.

"Here, let me show you," Harry said in a persistent tone, his hand reaching up towards the blond's exposed skin.

Draco grabbed his hand to stop him. "Don't," he said curtly. "I know what you're talking about."

Harry looked down at their clasped hands but didn't pull away, feeling a small buzz where their skin touched, his body relaxing, making it easier for him to breathe, but at the same time wiring him up as the blood began to race in his veins in anticipation of something. He swallowed hard. "What is it?"

Draco took a step closer not able to resist as the wizard's touch affected him far too much. He knew he should pull away, it wasn't safe. "It's your life magic. I'm taking it," he said softly.

Harry nodded slightly as he looked at red lips that he had kissed only the week before, finding he wanted to do it again. "Oh."

Draco blinked. The connection between them growing stronger as he felt his feet drawing him closer, his free hand reaching up. He ran his thumb gently along the wizard's lower lip. "You have a death wish, Harry?" he murmered, his lips parting slightly as his eager mind supplied another way to help the wizard if that was indeed the case, a surge of venom coating his teeth.

Harry didn't respond but instead found himself grabbing the wizard's shirt and pulling him a few inches closer until their lips were almost touching. "Do you have some kind of vampire charms?" he asked as he barely resisted kissing the blond. There had to be a reason he was feeling the way he was.

Draco's lips turned up into a smirk as his body thrummed under the wizard's touch. "I do, but I'm not using them." He paused and then asked in an innocently polite voice he would use to offer his potions notes for the week, "Would you like me to show you?"

Harry nodded, almost not believing the wizard, his breath uneven. "Yeah. All right."

Draco breathed out slowly letting himself relax and willing the Gryffindor to want to please him as he had the night in the hospital wing after he had been bitten, when he had been furious with the wizard. He watched as green eyes slowly fell shut, a thrill running up through him at the simple action he had caused. "Do you feel that, Harry?"

Harry nodded, his mind mush and his body warming under the words, wanting, needing the vampire's touch. "I think so."

Draco's tongue darted out wetting his lips. It would be easy to bite him now, maybe he could just taste a little. It wouldn't be so bad. He ran the back of his hand softly along the wizard's neck, holding back a groan as he felt the blood thumping deliciously just below its surface. He breathed in deeply and his lids grew heavy. "Do you want me, Harry?" he asked, his voice a whisper as he shifted closer.

Harry's breath hitched at the words. "_Fuck_."

Draco felt his lips pull up at the corners, taking the response for assent. "I wouldn't have thought you could be any less articulate," he teased even as he mentally agreed with the sentiment, the wizard's nearness testing the tenuous hold on his control. His sharp gaze trailed the wizard's neck once more before he pulled his charms back, the action feeling uncomfortable and unnatural with his target so close.

Harry felt his mind slowly begin to clear. He blinked a few times to find Draco standing in front of him still, studying him with an odd expression. "What's wrong?"

Grey eyes flicked down to his mouth. "Nothing."

Harry licked his lips, noticing the vampire watching the action and shifting closer as he did, causing his pulse to speed up once more. "Are you still using them?"

Draco shook his head ever so slightly. "No," he whispered huskily.

"Shit," Harry cursed under his breath and then found himself leaning toward him, his mouth slowly moving closer when Draco closed the gap with a quick movement, capturing his lips with his own.

The dark-haired wizard let out a startled noise as hands reached around his waist pulling him closer, but then his own hands were moving up and grabbing the wizard's neck as he tilted his head, his mouth opening.

Draco tried to think as his arms wrapped more firmly around the wizard, his lips parting when a tongue ran along it, Harry's hands sliding up into his hair and making him groan under the pleasure of his touch. _Mine_, flashed through his mind, his hands agreeing as they tried to run all over the wizard's body, claiming it for his own.

Harry felt hands began to tug insistently at his shirt's hem and then long fingers were sliding up under and running smoothly along his skin, heating his entire body and making him want to do things he really shouldn't with Draco Malfoy. A low groan rumbled in his chest.

"There you—_Oh.._. My my my."

Draco pulled away as Harry pushed him back, and the two wizards' gazes jerked over to find a somewhat surprised but highly amused Blaise approaching them.


End file.
